Behind Blue Eyes
by An Arm and a Leg
Summary: When it comes to war, it is never the war leaders who are truly punished. Instead, it is the embodiment of the nation that bears the wounds, regardless of which side won...World War II ends, leaving Germany in ruins and its personification nearly broken. GerIta (Adopted from brattyteenagewerewolf)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, guys! As anyone who read the original BBE may notice, this is NOT brattyteenagewerewolf. Thank you for pointing that out. I had no idea. XP**

 **The reason behind why I am posting this and not brattyteenagewerewolf is simply this: she didn't want it, so she deleted it off of her account (some people may recall this). I noticed and offered to "adopt" it, so to say. Hence, here we are. I have slightly "reworked" it, so it may not be exactly how you remembered it. My apologies. However, I hope that you still enjoy it! Due to the fact that I have little time/need to run through the chapters, the chapters will be uploaded one at a time. Sorry. :P**

 **Disclaimer: I no own Hetalia. Our Dark Lord Hime-papa does. XD**

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Chapter One

When it comes to war, it is never the war leaders who are truly punished. Instead, it is the embodiment of the nation that bears the wounds, regardless of which side won. Bonds are broken, alliances shattered and the losing nations can receive a harsh beating for losing a war that they never truly started. It doesn't matter who was at fault for the loss, the political leaders or the nation; the nation always suffers the most.

Germany bit his lip to hold back a pained scream as the whip cracked across his torn back. Only a few more... He thought to himself as he bit back cries of agony, only a few more... His legs were shaking as he struggled to keep himself upright and not flinch as he felt the leather whip cut into his bleeding flesh.

He was being punished for losing the war. For invading Russia on his boss's orders despite his reasoning that the move was stupid and risky. For targeting the Jews when that was Hitler's battle. The German never asked for the innocents in his nation to suffer; he had only wanted revenge on France.

He couldn't change the past though. What was done was done. He had obeyed Hitler's orders against his better judgement, and whether or not he was directly responsible the blood from every man, woman and child killed during the war was on his hands.

His legs gave out on him as the final lash fell upon his spine and he collapsed to the floor with agonised pants escaping from his clenched teeth. He could feel the warm blood running down his bare back and staining the cloth of his military style pants, turning the dark turquoise material a dark maroon.

He remained on the ground trying to restrain his pained gasps as his commanders spoke above him. He could handle the pain, he told himself, he'd survived worse...

"Get someone to clean him up," Germany registered his boss saying somewhere above him. He heard footsteps and bit back a scream as he was roughly pulled to his feet, the quick movement tugging at the torn flesh that was previously his back. He would not scream, he wouldn't show them his pain... He repeated the words like a mantra as he forced himself upright and walked without leaning on the soldier beside him.

He wouldn't scream, he wouldn't show them his pain... The blonde could taste blood on his lips as he tore them to shreds from biting back his cries of agony. Each step felt like yet another lash on his beaten body.

Germany's stance as he walked into the world meeting betrayed nothing about the condition of his back. He stood as straight as he always had, his usual cold, indifferent expression plastered on his face. He hid the hurt he felt as the other nations looked at him with disgust and fear.

Even Japan, who he'd felt was beyond blaming people indiscriminately, would glare at him every so often, silently placing the blame for the two bombs that had shattered his country upon the German's shoulders rather than the American's, despite it being the latter who'd pulled the trigger.

"Italy!" Germany called out as he saw the scatter-brained Italian enter the room with his brother. He needed just one friendly face, just one person who didn't see him as a monster... The German tried to smile at his former ally, tried to show that no hard feelings were between them but his face fell when he saw the look of terror on the brunette's face.

Both Italy brothers refused to forgive the German nation for his invasion after the alliance between them had shattered. Romano, Germany could accept; the southern nation had always hated his guts. But Italy? Germany couldn't forgive himself for that. He could still see the betrayal written across the nation's face.

With a sigh, Germany returned the indifferent expression to his face. He couldn't show his pain... No matter how much each of the other nations' expressions hurt him. He did his best to remain silent throughout the meeting, speaking only when spoken to and barely paying attention whilst the other nations spoke of the future.

He wouldn't scream, he wouldn't show his pain... The mantra continuously ran through his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The sound of gunfire and screams filled the air as Germany stared at the battlefield in horror. Soldiers, both German and Italian, fell around him as ally turned on ally. He needed to find Italy... needed to beg him to surrender, to do what Ludwig was not allowed to do.

Ignoring the bullets that tore through the air around him, the German started to run, intent only on finding the enemy he still considered a friend and ally despite the orders he was forced to carry out. He prayed that the young Italian would listen to him and give up the fight.

His heart tightened in terror as he finally caught sight of Italy. The small brunette was kneeling beside his brother as they both fired bullets into the oncoming German soldiers. Neither had seen the regiment of soldiers coming from the side or the man who was taking aim with his own weapon.

Germany's shout of horror couldn't be heard over the sounds of war and he felt the cool metal in his hand as he tried to force it out of the soldier's hand. He wrenched it out of the other's grip a second before the bullets left the barrel. The soldier fell to the ground and Italy gave a scream of pain as the bullets tore through him.

Romano was shouting something as he held onto his brother, but Germany couldn't hear it. He was held in place by the betrayal on Italy's face as he stared at the smoking gun in his friend's hand.

Italy's eyes didn't leave Germany's as he tore the iron cross from his neck before accepting his brother's assistance to leave the bloodstained battlefield. The necklace, his old friend's gift, lay abandoned in the blood that was slowly seeping into the earth as the German fell to his knees.

The former country of Prussia let himself into his younger brother's house, trying to be as quiet as possible. It didn't make a difference, anyways; Germany was upstairs trying to sleep. Prussia could tell from the shuffling noises coming from upstairs and the occasional moan.

He sighed and looked around, grimacing at what he saw. The place was a mess, there was no sign of Germany's obsessive cleanliness anywhere, and if the man himself was anything to go on, it wasn't going to get better for a while. Prussia could attempt to clean it himself later, but his brother was more important at the moment.

The cries continued as the ex-nation walked to his brother's room. He was dreaming again by the sounds of it. " _Bruder_? Wake up," Prussia said quietly as he looked at the trembling nation. The blonde's hair was matted against his forehead as tears streamed down his face despite being asleep.

The albino rested his hand on his brother's shoulder as he gave him a light shake. Germany gave a panicked cry as he woke up from the memory. "Shhh, West, it's only me, just me." Prussia murmured as he wrapped his arms around his brother to reassure him.

"Gil? Why are you here?" The German asked, his voice trembling as he tried to control the sobs that still escaped his lips.

"Russia's driving me insane. I swear, if he asks me to become one with him one more time I'm-well, anyway, I just wanted to see how you were doing..." Prussia answered, changing topic midway when he felt Germany tense up at the implication of violence.

"I'm fine, Gil..." The German said unconvincingly as he tried to push his brother off. Prussia just laughed and hugged him tighter.

"Ludwig, you're a mess. Your country's a mess. Do you really think you can lie to me about that?" He asked sadly. Germany remained silent for a moment.

"What do you want, Gil? Just tell me," the blonde asked. Prussia sighed, hating how he knew his request would sound.

"Look, West, I know you're capable of looking after yourself and I'm proud that you're a self sufficient nation and all... but it would be very awesome of you and I'd appreciate it a lot if you could give me part of Germany..." The albino gave a guilty grin as he finally released the German.

His brother's face was cold and contemplating again with no sign of his dream-induced sadness or panic. "You want part of Germany?" He asked stoically.

Prussia gave a slightly forced grin. " _Ja, bruder_ , it would be really awesome of you..." He hinted.

Germany gave a sigh. "I expected it of everyone else, but not you, Gil... But fine. Take East Germany if you want it that badly... I'm sure the Allies would love that." His tone was as serious as ever, but the Prussian could hear the hurt behind it.

"Ludwig, it's not like that! I just want to get away from Ivan before he forces me to become one with him! I don't want to rule it or call it Prussia or anything, I just want a place to stay! It will always be rightfully yours, West, I'd never take it away from you..." The albino tried to explain.

"Thats what they all said. Just go, Gil... Enjoy East Germany..." Prussia sighed. It looked like he'd have to prove what he'd said. The blonde turned away from him and started toying with an iron cross that rested on the table in the room.

"That's the one you gave Feliciano, isn't it..." Prussia asked quietly. The German's silence answered his question. "You miss him, don't you?"

Germany turned to him, eyes cold with anger. "Get out!" He snarled. The iron cross swung slowly from his grasp, the broken cord held tightly inside his clenched fist. Prussia sighed again but stood to leave.

Maybe there was a way to prove his vow to his brother...

"Feli, come on! Listen to me, please?" Prussia asked in an unusual show of begging.

"Why should I listen to you, Prussia? Give me one reason!" the Italian replied coldly, keeping his face downcast to hide the pain on his face.

"Feli, we were friends once. I don't care what you think of me now but I do care about my bruder..." The Prussian pleaded. "You did as well once!"

"I don't care how much he's hurting... He should have thought about that before he shot me!" Italy shouted as he met Prussia's red eyes with his own tear-filled brown eyes.

" _Mein gott_ , Feliciano! Are you stupid? My _bruder_ would never hurt you! He'd die first!"

"I'm not stupid, Prussia! I saw the gun in his hand! I've got the wounds to prove it!"

"I don't care what you saw, Italy! All I know is that Ludwig is hurting and everyone who is capable of helping him refuses to see it! Hasn't he been punished enough?" The ex-country cursed when the Italian refused to answer.

"He still has your fucking cross! Think about that when he finally breaks!" Prussia snarled as he took off down the hall, leaving the crying and hurt Italian in the passage.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Gak.**

 **I'M SO SORRY, GUYS! *bows* I totally forgot that I had to post this! Please forgive me! Here, take it! *pushes chapter forward* I promise to update again sooner!**

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Chapter Three

"You still refuse to forgive me, don't you, Japan?" Germany asked quietly, his face frozen in a mask of indifference. The man just smiled at him sadly.

"Have you seen Hiroshima yet, Germany? My people are well known for their tenacity. Come to my place later and I'll show you why I cannot forgive you." Japan said simply after a long pause.

Germany gave him a sad smile in return, doing his best to hide the pain he felt at his old friend's words. He hadn't expected the man to forgive him. After all, he had counted Feliciano-no, he was just Italy now; he didn't deserve to use his old friend's human name-as his best friend, and he hadn't forgiven him. Why would Japan be any better?

"I don't understand why you blame me over America. He dropped the bombs, not me."

Japan shrugged. "Perhaps, but the bombs were a warning for you. Besides, what you did to Feliciano? That can never be forgiven." The man turned away from his former friend and ally before he could see the way the other man flinched at the reminder of what had happened to the Italian.

The German couldn't disguise his relief when he saw Japan walk away. As lonely and hurt as he was, he would rather remain alone than allow the others to see his true emotions. _Gott, Feli. I'm so sorry..._ he thought as he felt a tear slide down his face.

No, it was better to be alone. He couldn't hurt anyone if he was alone...

 _He still has your fucking cross! Think about that when he finally breaks!_ The words refused to leave Italy's mind. Lud-Germany would never be that weak or sentimental. This was the man who'd shot him three times, after all, despite promising to be Italy's friend and to never hurt him.

The wounds still hurt, both literally and figuratively. The bullets had torn through his shoulder and stomach, destroying the blood vessels and muscles in their path. All three would leave scars, but the worst scars were the ones left in his mind.

No, there was no way that Germany would have kept the iron cross that the hurt Italian had thrown to the blood stained battlefield. No way that the harsh German could ever break...

But something about Prussia's face, his eyes, during the conversation made Italy doubt the German's strength. There had been panic and even fear in those normally cocky and fearless red eyes. Prussia didn't scare easily; even when he'd been told of the decision to dissolve his state he'd just grinned arrogantly and tried to start a betting ring to see how long his country would remain dissolved for.

Germany just didn't look hurt, though... He looked as cold and hard as always... _Dio!_ He didn't know what to think anymore... he wished that he'd never heard of Germany. Life had been so simple before...

Germany tried to hide the shock and horror on his face as he took in the ruins. The bomb had destroyed all the buildings in its path and reduced the once proud and busy Japanese city to rubble. Japan watched his former ally's face warily and frowned as he saw a flicker of pain cross the proud features. Such emotion was unusual coming from the German.

"Now you see why it's not so easy to forgive..." The embodiment of Japan murmured as he knelt amongst the wreckage and pulled a charred object from the ashes. "This was once the school district, it's the place that the bomb fell..." Japan placed the object in Germany's hands.

Germany stared at the broken doll in his hands. What had once been a beloved children's toy was now shattered and barely recognisable.

"They were just children, Germany." Japan whispered, face full of pain. "I can't forgive that."

Suddenly, it was all too much for Germany. "I'm sorry, Japan... I've got to go..." The man murmured softly as he tried to keep himself under control. He had to get out of there... He tried to keep his pace slow when he turned and bolted, dropping the doll to the ground as he did so.

More blood on his hands... More innocent blood... His hands were stained with it...

Japan frowned as he watched the German vanish into the distance. He'd never seen Germany like that before... He sighed and bent to place the doll back in its place amongst the wreckage. If the German was finally feeling guilty, it wasn't his responsibility to make him feel better. He deserved the guilt...

It wasn't working, they would never forgive him... Germany sighed sadly before taking another gulp of beer. The ground around him was littered with empty bottles from his attempts to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Nothing was working...

Would anyone even care if he just faded? Would they miss him? Or would they just be glad that he was gone? Germany didn't know anymore... Maybe it would be better like that... The pain wasn't getting any better anyway...

It would be so easy to just let go... And it would be for the best as well... He wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again...

The German pulled Italy's iron cross out of his breast pocket and stared at the gleaming metal sadly. He had never thought that it would end like this... Germany had tried to push himself to his feet, intent on finding the gun that had injured Italy. He had kept that gun, unable to throw away the device of his destruction. It would become that literally now.

His legs wouldn't hold him though and he fell to the ground with an angry cry. Even God himself was against him... He wouldn't lose this time. No, he wouldn't lose again...not again...

The German smashed the bottle in his hands against the floor with a harsh sob. The glass shattered readily against the hard surface and lay in jagged shards at Germany's side. With tears streaming down his face, the German selected one of the larger slivers of broken glass and held it up to his eyes.

The swaying iron cross tore his gaze from the glimmering green glass. The necklace still hung from his fist and a sob ripped through Germany's frame as he brought the symbol to his lips.

" _Ich liebe dich_... I'm sorry..." He sobbed as gripped the makeshift blade and pressed it to the inside of the wrist that refused to release the necklace. "Please forgive me..."

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 **A/N: I forgot to mention this before, but for those of you who don't know: Feliciano is Italy, Lovino is Romano, Gilbert is Prussia, Ludwig is Germany, and Ivan is Russia (his name popped up last chapter. I don't know if it comes up again. :P). I'll be (hopefully) posting the human names at the end of the chapters.**

 **Also, I will be posting some translations at the end of every chapter as well. This chapter has some, but they're kinda no-brainers. Oh, well. Here they are:**

 ** _Dio_** **(Italian): God**

 _ **Ich liebe dich**_ **(German): I love you**

 _ **Gott**_ **(German): God**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: And, as promised, the next chapter, less than six days later! :D I finally managed to keep a promise! Here you go! There's quite a bit of translations at the end! No new characters, though! Enjoy!**

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Chapter Four

Italy had been unable to shake the nagging doubt that Prussia instilled in his mind. Germany hurting? It was impossible but...what if? The Italian sighed before knocking on the door to Germany's house. It was probably just going to a waste of time...

The house was silent. The longer Italy stood there, the more worried he grew. Germany was home, the car stood in the drive, and the German had never failed to open the door before...Not to anyone, regardless of what had happened.

Italy sighed before fishing the spare key out from under the doormat. If his old friend refused to answer, then he would have to let himself in...

Italy cringed at the eerie silence of the once proud and clean home; it was covered in dust and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. That was when Italy caught the scent in the air and froze.

Blood. The rich iron tang of it permeated the air. Italy was cautious as he moved from the hallway to search for the German. Blood meant danger; it didn't take a genius to figure that out.

The slight Italian's eyes widened when he finally found his old friend. All of his hatred, betrayal and anger dissipated as he stared at the broken German. The man's skin was pale with blood loss and the scarlet liquid raced down his arms to pool on the ground.

Germany was still awake though and his blue eyes struggled to focus, the brightness gone from their depths. " _I... Italia_?" The voice was so soft that Feliciano could barely hear it.

"Luddy!" The nickname tore past the Italian's lips before he could stop it, blind fear and panic overcoming his grudge as he fell to his knees beside the German. " _Dio dannazione!_ Luddy! God! Don't worry! I'm here!" He shouted as he tore off his shirt and pressed it tightly to the gaping wounds. The material turned red immediately.

Germany gave a weak smile. Perhaps God had forgiven him if he was allowed to die with this vision. It was only a hallucination but it felt so real... Feliciano shouted something at him, tears in his eyes, as he pulled the German close. He couldn't make it out though...

"I'm sorry... _Es tut mir so leid_... forgive me... _Ich liebe dich_... _Italien_..." He whispered softly as his vision faded and he slipped into the darkness.

" _Luddy? Luddy_! Fuck! Please don't leave me! Please!" Italy shouted as Germany's eyes slid shut. He held the German tighter as he struggled with his phone, praying in rapid Italian as he dialled for help.

The phone was cast aside as soon as the call ended and Italy held onto Germany tightly as he sobbed. " _Per favore! Bitte! Stirb nicht_!" The German felt odd on his tongue as he switched fluently between both languages, begging and pleading with the unconscious nation. "Don't die... not now... please Luddy _! Stirb nicht_!" The Italian pressed his face against Germany's blonde hair, tears streaming down his face as he held the unresponsive man. He saw something glinting in Germany's relaxed hand as he sobbed, the image swirling before his eyes due to tears. It was only when he rubbed his eyes clean from the salt water that he recognised it.

The iron cross. It was stained with Ludwig's blood but was still recognisable. Italy even recognised the torn string that was tied to the pendant. An iron cross; his iron cross... " _Dio, mi dispiace! Mi dispiace! Per favore, mi dispiace_! Don't leave me!" He shouted as his hand closed around both Germany's and the cross.

The incessant beeping woke Germany and he blinked in confusion. He was in a hospital bed, bandages tight around both of his wrists, but that wasn't what confused. No, it was the Italian man who was holding his hand as he dozed in a chair beside the bed. Feliciano...He had to be dreaming... or dead. Feli-Italy didn't give a damn about him anymore. Italy hated him. Still…

" _I-Italia_?" He asked quietly, wincing as the words scraped past his throat. The Italian didn't move and remained sleeping soundly. With a small but sad smile the German lightly squeezed the hand holding his. Italy unconsciously gave a small squeeze back of his own. He didn't want to wake up... it was such a nice dream…

"West? West! _Danke Gott_ , you're awake!" A relieved voice made the German jump and woke Italy from his deep sleep.

"Gil... What?" The Italian asked sleepily before seeing Germany's open and alert blue eyes. His eyes widened and he pulled his hand away from the other's blushing furiously. Germany looked down to hide the hurt in his eyes.

" _Bruder, was_ -" He tried to ask, wincing when the words hurt his tender throat. Italy leapt up to get him some water which the German gratefully gulped down as his brother frowned at him.

"What? _What_?! You tried to kill yourself, West, and that's all you can say?! Fuck, _Bruder_! Are you stupid? Are you honestly in THAT much pain? What's going on, West? I can't do anything if you don't tell me! _Ja_ , the war was bad, but you don't see Japan or America trying to kill themselves! Just tell me, for fuck's sake!" The Prussian shouted angrily, his blood red eyes glinting.

Germany tried to avoid his gaze as he mumbled his reply.

" _Was_? I can't hear you Ludwig, speak up, _gott verdammt_!" The German's blue eyes rose to meet his brother, looking cold and emotionless.

" _Nein, Bruder_... not now... _Ich_... _Ich nicht_... _Gott verdammt_... I CAN'T!" He shouted angrily.

Prussia sighed angrily. "Fine, you don't want to talk, that's fine. But I'm not dropping it, _Bruder_!"

The albino stormed out of the room angrily with Germany staring after him sadly.

" _Mi dispiace_ , Luddy..." Italy murmured softly, eyes on his shoes. Germany turned to him in confusion.

" _Was_?" He asked warily. Italy sighed but met his eyes. "I'm sorry! I should have- I could have- _Dio! Mi dispiace_ , Luddy… " He said quietly. A lone tear wound its way down his cheek as he looked at the bed-bound German.

"You haven't called me 'Luddy' for so long... I've missed it." Germany murmured sadly as he wiped the tear away. He sighed sadly when the Italian flinched. It wouldn't last... it never did…

" _Mi dispiace_...I just need time..." Italy was sobbing now. With a wince, Germany pushed himself into a sitting position. The tightness around his chest told him that he'd had his back bandaged as well.

"Take as much as you need, take forever if you must... _Ich warte hier_ , I will always wait..." The German wrapped his arms around the smaller man. Italy flinched at first but soon found himself pressing his face against the wounded nation's chest. He froze when he felt the rough bandages.

"Ve- but it was just your wrists... Luddy, why do have bandages around your torso?" He asked anxiously. Germany sighed and pulled away from the Italian.

"Ten lashes for starting the war, ten lashes for losing it, and another ten for showing you mercy..." The German murmured quietly. Italy froze as he took in what he was hearing.

Thirty lashes... and he'd never complained, not once... " _Dio! Mi dispiace_! But why didn't you say? Why, Luddy?" He sobbed as he wrapped his arms around the German again. He could feel the tell tale tremble as the blonde started sobbing.

"Don't scream... don't let them see your pain..." The German whimpered. The Italian's arms tightened around him and despite his tears, Germany could feel metal pressing into his flesh. A single touch of the pendant was all it took for Germany to recognise it.

Italy had the iron cross on his neck.

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 **A/N: Translations:**

 ** _Dio dannazione_** **(Italian): God dammit**

 ** _Es tut mir so leid_** **(German): I am so sorry**

 ** _Per favore_** **(Italian): Please**

 ** _Bitte_** **(German): Please**

 ** _Stirb nicht_** **(German): Don't die**

 ** _Dio, mi dispiace! Mi dispiace! Per favore, mi dispiace!_** **(Italian): God, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, I'm sorry!**

 ** _Danke Gott_** **(German): Thank God**

 ** _Bruder, was_** **-(German): Brother, what-**

 ** _gott verdammt_** **(German): God dammit**

 ** _Ich warte hier_** **(German): I'll wait here**

 **Right. That looks to be it. Reviews are loved, as always. See you next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: No new characters!**

 **8/13 Update: rumblepaw has pointed out that my Italian is wrong. Thank you so much! QAQ I know nothing about Italian. I would have missed this without you...**

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Chapter Five

"Listen to me, _arschloch_ , I want to know what's wrong with _mein bruder_!" Prussia snarled at the doctor. The physician appeared calm, but a light sheen of sweat across his forehead betrayed his wariness of the fuming Prussian.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Beilschmidt, but there isn't much I can tell you. From the look of it, he's just depressed..." The doctor trailed off when he saw anger flash through the albino's blood red eyes.

"Bullshit! I saw his back! Now tell me what you know before I force it out of you!" Prussia threatened through gritted teeth. The doctor gulped nervously. The red-eyed man didn't look like someone to mess with.

"Well... It's hard to say for sure, but-" The man yelped as Prussia pushed against the wall and pinned him there.

"Give me the details, _gott verdammt_!" He snarled.

"It looks like he was whipped! We can't tell how many times, but it was a fair number! Just please! Don't hurt me! I have a family!" The man sobbed in a panic as the ex-country's eyes seemed to become even more firey.

"Fuck, West! What have you gotten into? Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" He growled as he released his grip on the doctor, who collapsed to the floor in a heap. Few people would ever be capable of whipping West without losing their head for the deed, so it had to be one of his superiors who ordered it.

But why? Sure, it wasn't unheard of for a nation to be punished for something they'd done, but to go as far as whipping until the nation's back was nothing but a roadmap of bleeding welts?

Prussia vowed as he turned away from the traumatised doctor that he'd find the one responsible. And he would take the man's head!

"Ve- _Fratello_ , I have to do this!" Italy argued as he threw several days worth of clothes into a bag. Romano frowned at him from the doorway.

"Feliciano! He shot you! What do you owe that bastard?" The elder Italy brother shouted.

"Ve? He was my friend once, _fratello_... I owe him this much..." Italy murmured sadly. Germany had been released from the hospital earlier that morning with strict orders that he wasn't to be left alone and despite his anger, Italy felt just a bit guilty over what had happened.

"So the potato bastard had a nervous breakdown. Big deal! Why the hell do you need to be his babysitter? In case you've forgotten, you have a country to run! Let the other potato bastard deal with it!" Romano snarled. Feliciano hated having to lie about the severity of Germany's problem, but both Prussia and he had decided that it was for the best.

"I can't, _fratello_. Luddy needs me and Gilbert's going to be looking after Germany while Luddy recovers. Ve- can't you help me this once and look after Italy?" Italy begged. His eyes became as pleading as a small puppy's as he gazed at his brother.

Romano immediately started to squirm and avoid his brother's gaze as he grumbled to himself in Italian. "Fine! _Dio_... just get back soon ok?" Romano groaned, rubbing his forehead. Italy gave a squeal of joy before giving his brother a hug.

" _Grazie!_ Ti voglio bene, fratello!" He said with a carefree grin. Romano sighed and patted his brother on the back stoically, more than used to his brother's overly affectionate gestures.

"Ti voglio bene _anch'io_... Now get the fuck off, Feli!" Italy pouted slightly, but let go of his brother.

" _Grazie fratello_ , I'll phone you later!"

"Finally, Feli! I thought you'd never arrive!" Prussia complained as the Italian let himself into Ludwig's house.

"Sorry, Gil... I stopped for supplies!" Italy explained as he held up a bag filled with the basic ingredients for pasta. Prussia tried not to roll his eyes as he did up his tie. The Italian's eyes widened as he realised what the Prussian was wearing.

"Ve- You look nice! Do you have a date?" Italy asked appreciatively. The albino was wearing an ash grey suit with a red shirt over his normal military uniform. Prussia had to struggle not to roll his eyes again.

" _Nein, dummkopf_! There's a world meeting today, remember? I have to go and represent Germany." He explained. He frowned at Italy's blank expression. "You did remember, didn't you?"

"Ve- there's a world meeting today...?

Prussia gave a frustrated groan and threw up his arms. " _Gott verdammt_! I draw the line at representing _mein bruder_ AND you! Does your brother know about it?" the Prussian asked. Italy shook his head. "Call him and tell him, then! One of you needs to be there and I'd rather have you stay with West!"

"Ve- Sure, Gilbert... Lovi won't be happy, though..." The Italian murmured as he dialled his brother. It took several rings before it was answered by a sleepy Romano.

"Bastard! I was sleeping!" The Italian snarled, his tone sharper than normal.

" _Mi dispiace, fratello_ , but Gilbert says there's a world meeting!" Italy tried to explain.

"Your point is, bastard? Just get to the-What... don't tell me... if you need me to tie your shoelaces again, I will kill you!"

"No, _fratello_ , I need you to go to the meeting for me." Italy said cheerfully. There was silence on the other line for several seconds.

"...What." Romano asked, his voice dangerously calm.

"Sì! I need to stay with Luddy, so you need to represent Italy for us~" The light hearted Italian explained with a smile.

"I hate you for this!" Was the only reply before the line was cut off. Italy smiled at Prussia as he put the phone away.

"Ve- Fratello is fine with it! Where's Luddy?" The Italian asked as he put down his stuff. Prussia raised an eyebrow.

"That was Lovino being 'fine with it'? He sounded pissed!"

"Si, He normally does though... where's Luddy? I want to see him." The Italian's smile fell from his face as he changed the topic back to his old friend.

"Sulking in his room. I wouldn't allow him to go to the meeting." Prussia explained with a sad chuckle. His brother could be the biggest baby at times.

Italy smiled happily. "Ve? I'll go cheer him up then! Enjoy the meeting, Gil!" He shouted as he raced up to Germany's room. The albino couldn't help but laugh. Maybe Italy had finally forgiven Germany…

Germany looked up from his spot on the bed when the brunette burst into his room.

" _Italia_? What are- _nein_...don't tell me you're my babysitter!?" He growled, a bitter tone entering his voice. Italy blinked in surprise before grinning.

" _Sì_ , Luddy! And I wanted to see you!" He laughed happily. The German couldn't help but smile when he looked at the bouncy country. It fell from his face when he saw that the iron cross still hung from the Italian's neck.

"You don't need to wear that if you don't want to..." Germany said quietly. Italy cocked his head for a minute before the German pointed at the necklace.

"Ve? But, Luddy, I want to..." He lied. He hated having to lie, but he wasn't quite ready to forgive the German yet. At the same time, he didn't want the man dead... Lying was the only alternative, but it broke his heart when he saw a flash of hope in his former friend's once bright blue eyes. "Ve-I bought pasta! Do you want some, Luddy?" He asked timidly, trying to cover his lies.

" _Ja, Italia_. I would love it..." Italy's heart broke again as the German gave him a shaky, yet kind smile. What the Italian was doing wasn't fair to either of them...

* * *

 **A/N: Translations:**

 ** _arschloch_** **(German)** ** _:_** **Asshole**

 ** _gott verdammt_** **(German): God dammit (I think I translated this before. Oh, well. :P)**

 ** _Ti voglio bene, fratello_ (Italian): I love you, brother**

 _ **Ti voglio bene**_ **_anch'io_** **(Italian): I love you, too**

 ** _Nein, dummkopf_** **(German): No, fool**

 **...Yeah, that's about it. See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: No new names. I'm pretty sure there aren't going to be any more, actually... *sweatdrops***

* * *

Chapter Six

The bed felt strange to Italy. He hadn't slept at Germany's place in months and he'd forgotten almost everything about the place that he once loved. He'd missed the view of the city from the bedroom window, the moonlight shimmering through the window... He also missed the cleanliness and order of the home as the German had still neglected to clean.

The Italian sighed as he turned over and tried to get comfortable. He knew it was pointless, though. He hadn't exactly slept well for just under a year and had been surviving on small naps whenever possible.

A strange sound broke through the night and caused Italy to leap upright in fright. He sat there frozen for a few seconds before the sound slipped through the air again. This time the brunette recognised it.

"Please... not again... don't..." The sobbing voice begged. Italy frowned. It sounded like Germany, but the German never begged, never showed fear...

A choked back cry caused him to leap out of bed. Germany was hurting and Italy wasn't sadistic enough to leave him to his pain.

He was alone on the battlefield this time. there was no battle, no fighting, no gunfire to be heard. All Germany could see was the evidence of the battle, the broken bodies lining either side of the field, torn to shreds by rapid bullets.

They weren't soldiers. None of them were. They all wore the yellow star of David upon their broken breasts. Victims of the holocaust, of him.

"Luddy?" Germany turned towards the voice and flinched when he saw Italy. Blood flowed freely from gunshot wounds gracing his body and as Germany stared at him in horror he collapsed to the ground.

Germany frantically rushed to the brunette and cradled the country. "Feli! No! Please! Not again! Don't do this to me again!" Italy smiled up at him coldly, his eyes hard as ice.

"But you did this to me, Luddy! You did this!" The Italian accused.

"No! I would never hurt you!" Germany cried.

"But you did, and what was it you once told me? About treating your inferiors?" Italy hinted as he gently stroked the German's cheek.

"You must treat them kindly..." Germany murmured. Italy shook his head with a laugh as he pulled a knife from his pocket.

"No, Luddy, you told me you must be strict!" The Italian's lips curled up into a feral smile and he plunged the blade into Germany, causing a pained cry to escape the blonde's lips. Italy kept smiling as he pressed his lips to the wounded man's throat. "You were always weak, Ludwig. No wonder everyone abandoned you..."

Germany awoke with pained cries still falling from his lips and tears streaming down his face. The soft noise of someone moving onto his bed made him jump and cry out again until a small warm hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Shh... It's okay, it was just a dream!" Italy reassured gently as he took in the terror and pain on his old friend's face. He was breathing heavily as he trembled slightly.

" _I- Italia_?" Germany whimpered as he tried to tell himself that it was just a dream. He couldn't stop trembling.

"Si, it's me, it's okay... nothing's going to hurt you..." Italy murmured softly as he moved closer to Germany. The German had to bite back a hysterical laugh at that. Hurt him? It was the others that he was worried about...

"I'm sorry... I woke you up..." He whispered as his tears stopped. Italy's presence was calming him a lot faster than Prussia's ever could. The German suspected that it was because he still felt protective of the small Italian, whereas his brother had always looked out for him. He had to be strong for Italy...

"Ve? It's fine, I wasn't asleep..." Italy felt so confused as he held the German in his arms. He hated the man... so why did it feel so right to hold him like this? To be close enough that he could feel his heart beating against his? And why did he suddenly feel so comfortable now when he hadn't been able to sleep well for months due to simple discomfort…? "...Do you want me to stay here tonight?" He asked sheepishly.

Germany blinked in shock. "You want to? You don't have to if you don't want..." He hated saying the words. He wanted nothing more than to feel someone against him who didn't hate him...

" _Sì_... I want to..." The Italian murmured sleepily as he wrapped his arms around the German. He didn't know why, but he wasn't lying this time. He tried to tell himself that it was for comfort or warmth and not a desire to be with Germany, but he couldn't believe it. He hated himself for it, for being ready to forgive the German so readily.

Germany froze as he felt the slim arms around him but relaxed slightly as the Italian relaxed against him, breathing out a small and peaceful sigh as he snuggled into him. He couldn't help but smile as he brushed a strand of hair from Italy's forehead and gently kissed the sleeping man's head.

 _You were always weak, Ludwig. No wonder everyone abandoned you..._ The words from his dream tore his faint hope to shreds as they raced through his mind again. He trembled slightly as he pressed himself closer to the Italian. He was so weak...

Prussia smirked as he saw the other nations staring at him, confused to see him and not his brother.

"What are you doing here, Prussia? Where's Germany?" England growled.

Prussia's smirk widened. "Is that any way to treat an old friend?" The Englishman just glared at him until the other sighed. "Still so rude... If you must know, _mein bruder_ is at home recuperating. Since he is sick, the awesome me decided to come in his place!" He said with a chuckle.

"But you don't represent Germany, _mon ami_." France pointed out. The albino just chuckled again.

"I do now! Say hello to the awesome East Germany!" France looked like he was about to argue with Prussia's comment, so England quickly stepped in before a fight could break out.

"Fine! Now would everyone sit down so we can finish this bloody meeting?" The Englishman shouted as the Frenchman opened his mouth to complain.

"What about Italy?" Spain asked before England could start talking. The blonde threw a glare at the Spaniard before sighing.

"Bloody hell... can't anyone arrive on time? Where the hell is Italy?"

"Oh, calm down, tea bastard!" A snarky voice called out as Romano entered the meeting room. Everyone stared at him curiously. Romano never came to meetings unless he was forced to. It was always Veneziano that represented italy.

" _Mi pequeño tomate_!" Spain shouted happily as he gestured to the empty chair beside him.

"Shut the fuck up, tomato bastard! Don't call me that!" The Italian fumed as he walked over to the empty seat.

"Ok what in God's name is going on?" Arthur asked with a sigh. "Romano, where's Veneziano?"

"At home with the fucking potato-" The Italian started to explain but was cut off by America.

"Haha, who cares, Eyebrows? Let's just start the meeting! I'll go first! Now, what to do with Germany... I say that we divide it between the Allies! I'll take West Germany and England, France, China and Russia can take East Germany!" The young country shouted.

The Allies immediately started arguing with the young American. Prussia's eye twitched as he watched them fight over pieces of him and his brother. This was going to be a long meeting...

"You will become one with Russia, da?" Russia murmured across the table as he looked at Prussia. The rest of the Allies were signing a contract denoting the fate of the German empire.

"Not on your life, _arschloch_!" The Prussian snarled.

"Okay, now that that's done, I guess we're finished with discussing the war..." Prussia's eyes widened at England's words.

"Finished? Finished?! Out of the entire Axis powers, you're only targeting Ludwig?!" He shouted as he stood and glared at the Allies. His eyes glinted with anger.

"Not quite true, _mon ami_... We also punished you for your war crimes..." France mumbled, looking down at the table as if it contained the secrets of the universe. The Prussian ignored him.

"What about Japan and Italy?! They were also a big part of the Axis powers!"

"Italy joined the Allies and was thus pardoned for any crimes committed. Japan submitted a formal apology after the war and it was agreed that what happened to his country was punishment enough, aru..." China explained.

"I renounced Germany as an ally, Prussia. I would suggest you did the same or you might meet the same fate as I did..." Japan suggested.

"Renounce _mein bruder_? Never! And what the hell are you going on about?! Ludwig never dropped the bombs!" Gilbert shouted as he rounded on Japan.

"He included me in the war. He may as well have dropped them himself." The Japanese man explained as he placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. There was murder in the albino's blood red eyes.

"Damn it, Japan! How is that fair?! Why must my _bruder_ pay for what you did?!" Gilbert snarled as he leapt over the table at the Asian country, his hands drawn into fists.

There was a slight squeal of metal as Japan drew his sword to defend himself and soon both men gave a slight grunt of pain; Japan because of the Prussian's fist crashing into his face and Prussia because of the sword cutting into his cheek. It was a light wound, a mere warning...One that the Prussian chose to ignore as he continued fighting against the armed and defensive man.

The room was silent except for the angry shouts for a minute before several of the people in the room rose to separate them. By the time it was over, Japan was being helped to his feet by China and wiping blood from his eyes. One of the Prussian's punches had split the skin on his forehead.

The Prussian in question was being held back by both Russia (who was smiling sweetly, as if enjoying this new turn of events) and America as the other countries stared in shock. Prussia was still struggling against the two men and ignoring the blood that streamed from the cut on his cheek and several nicks on his arms and fists.

"Enough!" England shouted angrily. Prussia just swore at him in German without stopping his struggles to attack Japan. "ENOUGH! From now on, Prussia, you are _not_ to come to these meetings! I don't _care_ how sick Germany is! Germany is to be completely separated into East and West because of this! Get him out of here!" Even Prussia stopped struggling at his words.

With a growl, he pushed Russia (still smiling) and America off of him. "Mark my words, England! You will never keep us apart!" He snarled as he strode from the meeting room.

* * *

 **A/N:** ** _Mon ami_** **(French): My friend**

 ** _Mi pequeño tomate_** **(Spanish): My small tomato**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: *nervous sweat* Eheh...Hi. I'm back... *throws chapter and runs* I'm working on it now! I swear!**

* * *

Chapter Seven

Prussia swore to himself in German as he started heading back to the house. Separate them? Not on his life! He refused to be taken away from West when he was like this! He shivered at both the thought and the cold winter's breeze that swirled around him, the icy air stinging his cuts.

God, he'd been stupid... picking a fight with Japan in a crowded room... He'd just asked to be punished and instead of punishing him, the Allies were inadvertently punishing his brother... Prussia bit back more curses as he clenched his fists, hissing as the cuts were pulled taut.

Most of the cuts from Japan's sword had stopped bleeding, but a few of the deeper ones still leaked blood. The ex-nation could feel a few beads of blood running down his face from the wound on his cheek. Every time he opened his mouth to swear, the gash was reopened.

" _Gott_ , West... What the fuck am I meant to do?!" Prussia shouted angrily, kicking a stone in front of him. His brother was hurting and alone and now he was about to lose one of the few people who actually gave a damn about him... He couldn't tell him... wouldn't tell him...Not yet, not until he was forced to leave Germany's side.

And when that time came, he'd fight God himself to return to his brother.

Italy frowned slightly before slowly opening his eyes. He was warm and could feel bare skin beneath his hands. He blinked when he saw Germany in his arms and the dim, winter sunlight streaming in from the window.

He'd managed to sleep through the night for the first time in months... All while holding a man he now considered an enemy in his arms. At least Italy thought he was an enemy... He wasn't sure what he thought anymore.

Cautiously, the Italian untangled himself from the sleeping German, not wanting to wake the man until he'd thought things through. He froze when Germany shifted slightly and held him tighter, but the man remained fast asleep and soon Italy was able to get out of the bed.

After hurriedly getting dressed and casting a last glance at Germany, Italy grabbed his cell phone and left the room as quietly as possible. He was intent on finding a quiet spot to phone his brother before sorting out his confused emotions.

Germany flinched when the door slipped shut. Awaking almost immediately from the quiet noise, he felt a sense of loss when he realised that Italy was gone. The loneliness, dulled by the small brunette's presence earlier, came back stronger than ever and the German had to fight not to curl up and tremble at the overwhelming emotion.

It had never hit him that hard before. Normally he could handle it. Italy was different... He could make Germany doubt himself with ease. The German doubted that the other country even knew how easily he swayed the other with his words and actions.

Germany remained in the bed for a few minutes before sighing and pushing himself upright. His brother would be home soon, and Germany wanted to be awake and dressed when he did so. Looking around his room, he had to shake his head at the mess. Perhaps if he had time he could clean his home and make it slightly more presentable.

He smiled at the Italy could make him so bipolar... change him from being sad to being happy at the drop of a hat. He was still smiling when he made his way downstairs and heard Italy's voice coming from the lounge. Pausing at the door he listened, watching as the other ran his hands through his hair, gesturing wildly as he spoke into his cellphone.

It was far more enjoyable than searching for his military uniform. After all, he could always remain in his wife beater and shorts for a small amount of time-

"Ve- I feel like I'm pretending! I hate it!" Italy complained softly. He paused as the person on the other line replied whilst shaking his head. Germany froze in his place.

"I don't want to forgive him though... I don't think-" A pained sob made Italy whirl around in time to catch a blur of blonde hair as Germany bolted. The front door slammed shut and Italy was left standing, staring at the spot the German had been.

Germany had heard enough.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Surprisingly, Romano was awake when his brother called. From the sound of his voice, he was also slightly drunk.

"Hey, _fratello_! Nice to hear from you, you bastard!" The Italian said cheerfully. Italy had to bite back a chuckle; his brother had always been a surprisingly happy drunk. It was always amusing to see and hear.

" _Sì_ , Lovi! Ve- Have you been drinking?" Italy asked as he sat down on the couch.

"Of course not!" Romano protested happily. "Well, I did have a glass or two of wine... and maybe some shots of tequila... Or was it whiskey? Hey, tomato bastard! Antonio! Was it tequila or whiskey?" There was a pained grumble in the background that Italy assumed came from the Spaniard. "Ve- who cares! How's the potato bastard?"

"Ve- okay I guess..." Italy murmured quietly. His older brother was silent for a second before he sighed.

"Okay, what happened?" He asked, a bit more serious than before. Italy sighed softly. This was a side of Romano few people ever saw. No one realised just how protective he was of his little brother.

"It's nothing... I'm just confused, that's all..." the other said softly. There was a frustrated sigh on the other end of the line.

"Feli, I'm your brother. Like hell you're just confused! I know you!" Feliciano chuckled sadly.

"Ve- You're right, Lovi. Like always..." The younger Italian murmured.

Romano chuckled. "Damn right I am. Now spill, bastard! Is it because you hate him?" He asked hopefully.

"Ve- I feel like I'm pretending! I hate it!" Italy complained quietly. Romano sighed, understanding immediately.

"Great, I thought this would happen... Listen if you love him, just forgive him already! Then the potato bastard and I can all go back to hating each other again! Just like one big, not so happy, family!" Romano offered with a chuckle. He hated Germany with a passion, but if it made his brother happy he'd deal with it.

"I don't want to forgive him though! I don't think-" A pained sob stopped Italy from finishing but the words finished themselves in his mind as he watched a blond-haired form run from the room.

 _I don't want to forgive him though! I don't think I should be so willing to forget everything... He shot me, It's not normal to be willing to forgive that... I shouldn't be falling for him all over again..._

"Ve- Luddy! ...Ludwig..." The Italian called out as he heard the door slam. He wasn't sure how much the man had heard, but it had obviously been enough. But not enough at the same time...

Italy sighed as he bid farewell to his brother, ignoring the frustrated Italian's demands for information on what had just happened. He hung up just as a scowling Prussia walked in the door.

"Hey, Feli! Gott, what a day..." The albino moaned. The Italian's eyes widened as he took in the nicks and cuts gracing the other's face, arms and hands.

"Ve- Gil! What happened?" Italy asked, concern clear in his voice. Prussia sighed and rubbed at the cut on his cheek.

"I picked a fight with Japan... but let's avoid that unawesome topic, shall we? Where's mein bruder?" the Prussian asked with a smirk that didn't quite cover the anxiety in his eyes. Italy chose to ignore the nervousness the man exuded.

"Ve... He may have gone out..." The Italian murmured guiltily. Prussia looked at him with even more panic on his face, no longer hiding it behind arrogance.

"Out? What do you mean, out?" He shouted angrily. The Italian flinched and avoided the Prussian's eyes.

"He overheard me on the phone... and he took it the wrong way..." Italy said quietly. A lone tear made its way down the Italian's cheek as Prussia's eyes widened in horror.

" _Nein! Nein! Nein! Scheiße!_ What the fuck did he hear you say?" Gilbert shouted angrily and just a little fearfully.

"I said I didn't want to forgive him..." Italy whispered guiltily. "Ve- He'll be alright, won't he? He's always alright... He just needs to cool off..." The Italian tried to reassure the panicked Prussian.

"Nein! When West wants to cool off he locks himself in his room! _Warum der fick hast du das gesagt? Bist du blind? Bist du dumm?_ " Prussia started pacing anxiously looking at the window at the cloudy sky and swearing in German.

"Ve? but... He'll come back... Won't he? He won't... try-" Italy asked quietly, flinching when the Prussian turned to face him. The albino's blood red eyes glinting with anger.

"There's no way in hell he'll come back after that, _arschloch_! There's a fucking storm coming and he knows it! He mentioned it to me the other day before I left! I know West! He's hurting and you just made it worse..." Prussia turned away from the trembling Italian and grabbed a thick military jacket from the back of one of the chairs, grateful that neither he or his brother had gotten around to cleaning. It saved time when it came to finding things in this case.

"I'm going to go find him! And if he's in less than perfect condition or if you're still here when I get back, I swear to gott I'll kill you!" The Prussian snarled as he slammed the door behind him.

It was cold. Germany had known it would be, but that didn't stop him from sitting against the trunk of a tree in the park near his home. Snow was starting to lightly dust the ground as the storm moved closer to the heart of the city.

The blonde shivered as he turned his tear streaked face to the sky. The hot tears were cooling and freezing rapidly on his skin as the snow continued to fall, picking up speed as the wind started to howl around him.

The tears and sobs slowed as it grew impossibly colder and Germany slumped against the ground, curling into a ball at the base of the winter-stripped tree. How could he have ever believed that Italy could forgive him, that the perpetually smiling brunette actually cared about him...

The German started to stop shivering as the cold overwhelmed him, numbing his previously trembling flesh. His thought processes becoming more jumbled the longer he remained curled in the pure snow. With a sad sigh, Germany closed his eyes... He wanted to sleep... He wanted it to end...

A warm hand forced him to open his eyes as it was placed on his shoulder. The German couldn't feel the warmth though, just the faint pressure as he tried to focus his eyes on its owner.

"West! Come on! Not again!" He heard a voice shout as the person leaned over him. The embodiment of Germany blinked slowly, focusing on the white hair and red eyes, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He struggled to come up with the name in his mind.

" _Bru-Bruder_?" He whispered quietly. "What are you-" He flinched as his brother's arms encircled him and pulled him against the other's chest.

"Saving your fucking life!" The Prussian growled as he picked his brother up with a grunt. Germany was dead weight in his arms and it took all of Prussia's strength to walk with the larger man in his arms.

"Damn... It... Gil... Just leave me..." The German murmured weakly as he lightly pushed against his elder brother's chest. The Prussian sighed as he gazed at his brother. Germany's skin was deathly white from the cold, his lips holding a bluish tinge. His eyes were out of focus and his breathing was shallow.

Prussia smiled sadly and pressed little brother closer against him, trying to warm him with nothing but body heat as he ignored the chill of his brother's skin.

"Never, West. I'll never leave..."

* * *

 **Translations:**

 ** _Warum der fick hast du das gesagt? Bist du blind? Bist du dumm?_** **(German):** Why the fuck did you say that? Are you blind? Are you stupid?


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Whoops.**

 **I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry for not updating sooner! I honestly forgot about updating... DDD: I am a horrible person and a freaking lazy slacker. I swear, I'm going to try and put this on high priority so I can finally post all of the chapters. Again, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me and have this chapter! If I can, I'll edit and post another chapter today...**

Chapter Nine

Ludwig had started to shiver violently by the time they got back to the house. It took all that the Prussian had to remember that shivering was good. After all, shivering meant you were trying to heat up. It was when you stopped shivering in these sort of temperatures that you had a problem.

It certainly didn't help Gilbert's nerves, though, when his brother's teeth started chattering. The sound made him feel more anxious. The force with which the man's teeth rattled even cut off Ludwig's complaints, making Gilbert walk into the house at an even faster pace than before. He needed to get his brother warmed up, now.

" _G-G-gott ver-verdammt br-brud-bruder_... st-stop!" Ludwig begged as his brother gently put him down on the bed before running to grab a few blankets.

" _Nein_! You're not dying on me, West!" The Prussian growled as he returned with a large pile of blankets. He made sure that the German was completely covered in the blankets before stripping himself of his shirt and jacket. He'd been in Russia long enough to know that the frozen German wouldn't be able to heat the blankets up himself. Ludwig's eyes widened as the shirtless Prussian slipped into his bed.

" _Br-bru-bruder_?" He tried to ask, struggling weakly as his brother pulled his thin shirt off of him.

"Hush, West, It's the fastest way to get you warm... at least while keeping most of our clothes on..." Gilbert murmured as he wrapped his arms around his brother. He flinched at the cold flesh before moving even closer to him. _Gott_ , his brother was freezing...

They remained like that in silence for several moments, Ludwig trembling in Gilbert's arms as his brother attempted to warm him up with his body heat. "It's been a while since we shared a bed hasn't it, West?" Gilbert finally asked with a soft smile as he pushed the German's fringe out of his eyes.

Ludwig flinched at first before trying to get even closer to his brother, instinctively moving towards the warmth that would save him. " _J-Ja_..." He replied quietly, closing his eyes as he rested against his brother's chest. It reminded him of when he was just a kid, when he'd been scared of the dark. Gilbert had always held him like this then as well, protecting him from the monsters in the night until he was old enough to see that they didn't exist.

"You always were a cute kid, though... always crawling into my bed because you were scared of the darkness. Kesesese, I never minded, you know. I liked looking after you... I just never thought I'd have to do it again after you hit your teens..." Gilbert murmured sadly.

There was a pause before he spoke up again. "Luddy...please, don't ever do that again. Don't scare me like that again. I was terrified that you weren't going to make it…"

"...I'm sorry…" The blonde's words were quiet and slightly muffled.

Prussia gave a sigh "It's just…I know you're hurting, and I know it's hard, but please...Don't leave me like that." His arms tightened around his little brother a bit more as he remembered the meeting, but he didn't say anything. He could tell Ludwig later. Much later.

"I...I won't."

"Good. Now, get some sleep, okay?"

Ludwig didn't reply and the Prussian smiled when he looked down at him. The German had fallen asleep against him despite his shivers. Gilbert sighed with relief when he saw how the trembles were slowly ceasing. He placed a cautious kiss to the sleeping blonde's head as he too closed his eyes. "Liebe dich, bruder..." He said quietly as he held his brother tight, trying to protect him from the world despite the futility of the action.

He wasn't ready to lose the one person he actually cared about...

 _"Bruder?" A small voice asked timidly. Gilbert groaned slightly but opened his eyes slightly and sat up._

 _"Lud-Ludwig?" He asked sleepily. His eyes widened as he saw the tears running down the small boy's face. "Bruder? What's wrong?" His little brother looked so scared that the Prussian couldn't help but pick the boy up and give him a hug._

 _"The monsters... They were waiting for me in the dark!" The young German whimpered. Gilbert chuckled._

 _"Monsters, huh? Well, I guess I'll have to teach those monsters a lesson!" Ludwig's blue eyes widened._

 _"But what if they get you?" He asked fearfully. His brother just smiled and pressed a kiss to Ludwig's forehead._

 _"I'm too awesome for that to happen! So should I go kick those monsters' butts or would you rather me stay with you?" He asked with a cocky grin. The blonde moved closer to Gilbert, snuggling into his chest._

 _"Stay... You scare the monsters away... You always do..." He murmured sleepily. The albino smiled as he lay back down on the bed with his arms wrapped protectively around his little brother._

Gilbert's eyes widened in shock at the dream. He hadn't thought about that memory in years... It shouldn't have surprised him though. After all, he was practically repeating it.

He smiled sadly at the sleeping German in his arms. His little brother had grown so much... He gently brushed a few stray hairs from Ludwig's forehead, doing his best not to wake him. His brother barely twitched as he did so.

"I'm sorry, _bruderlein_...I wish I could scare the monsters away this time..."

 **A few days later**

Feliciano sighed sadly as he stared at the iron cross in his hands. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened.

How could he have been so stupid? How could he have started talking like that while Ludwig had been in the house? Of course he was going to hear!

He gave a slight yelp when Lovino's voice rang out from behind him.

" _Per l'amor di Dio fratello_! Either go apologise or stop moping!" His older brother exclaimed, rolling his eyes. Feliciano didn't turn around to face him.

"I can't, Lovi...He must hate me! He will never forgive me..." Feliciano murmured guiltily.

His brother slapped him. Hard.

"Holy fuck, Feli! Are you that much of an dumbass?! YOU hated him before but forgave him, and he's done much worse! Just get your ass over there and apologise, you bastard!" Lovino snarled. Feliciano stared at him, still in shock from the slap.

"But- Gilbert will kill me if I go..."

"And I'll kill you if you stay! You love him, he makes you happy, and when you mope it makes me pissed! Now haul ass and make things right!" Lovino threatened. There was a glint in his eyes that told Feliciano that he wasn't kidding.

With a sigh, the younger brother stood and placed the iron cross around his neck, rubbing it instinctively. He could feel Lovino glaring at him as he walked over to the door.

"Feli?" His brother's much calmer voice made him pause.

"Sì, fratello?" Feliciano asked cautiously. Lovino smiled at the nervous Italian.

"Don't get yourself killed. I'd have to avenge you and Prussia would probably laugh before he kicks my ass!" Lovino chuckled. Feliciano smiled back sadly. He knew that that was his brother's way of saying _Be careful, cause I love you_. "Now go tell him and tell him how you feel!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi. :) I finally have enough time to continue updating. Sorry for the incredibly long wait.**

* * *

Chapter Ten

To say that Feliciano was scared was an understatement. He was petrified and with good reason. After all, it's not every day that one has to sneak into the house of a tall, very muscular German (who was probably a little bit pissed at him) and his over-protective brother who'd already threatened to kill him if he turned up again.

Nevertheless, it had to be done. With a sigh, the Italian started to clamber through Ludwig's window. Like hell he would go through the front door and past Gilbert. Only a fool would take on Prussia after being threatened by him. It took a while, but finally Feliciano flopped into the German's room. To the Italian's relief, neither Ludwig nor Gilbert were there. He wanted to make up with Ludwig, wanted to see him get better, but the idea of apologising to the man? That scared him shitless.

The sound of footsteps approaching the room made him tremble slightly as he looked down guiltily. He had to do it, he had to apologise... He had to tell him what he truly felt.

" _Gott verdammt_ , West! I told you not to overstrain yourself! Now I have to re-bandage your-" The door flung open and Gilbert paused mid-sentence as he stared at Feliciano. The Italian gulped before bursting into tears.

"I'm sorry! _Mi dispiace_! I didn't mean it! Don't hit me! Or kill me! Ve- I surrender!" Feliciano yelped as the Prussian pinned him against the wall with a snarl of rage.

"I told you to stay the fuck away from _mein bruder_! He's messed up enough as it is without you interfering! Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you! Because of you, Ludwig almost froze to death!" Gilbert shouted at the sobbing Italian.

"Please! I didn't mean any of it! I'm so sorry! Please don't hurt me! I have relatives in East-" Feliciano's begging and pleading was cut off by Ludwig entering the room.

" _Bruder_ , what's-" The German paused as he took in the scene in front of him. His brother was shaking with anger as he held a sobbing Feliciano two feet off the ground and against his bedroom wall. "...Italy?" He murmured cautiously, his face froze in an emotionless mask.

" _Sí! Sí!_ Please, Luddy! Help me!" The Italian begged. Gilbert swore in German before pulling back a fist to punch the terrified Italian. Feliciano yelped and flinched, closing his eyes to wait for the blow.

It didn't come though and with a surprised "Ve?", he opened his eyes. Ludwig was holding Gilbert's raised fist in place and keeping the punch from reaching his former ally. "...Luddy?"

The German ignored him, keeping his eyes focused on his brother's the whole time. "Let him go, _bruder_..." Ludwig pleaded quietly. Gilbert's blood red eyes had a hint of confusion in them as they refused to drop from the blue gaze of his little brother.

"But, West... He hurt you... Why would you want me to let him get away with it?" Gilbert asked quietly. His tight grip on the Italian lessened slightly.

"He came here for a reason. It would be unfair to attack him without hearing him out..." Ludwig explained, his voice quiet. Feliciano bit back a yelp when Gilbert rolled his eyes but dropped him onto the floor.

"You've grown soft, West..." Gilbert muttered as he shook his head. He cast a glance down at Ludwig's wrist and swore loudly. The bandage around his right wrist was stained red. "Fuck, West! Don't you ever listen to me? Stop over-exerting yourself! I'll go grab the bandages, wait here with Italy!"

He made to leave the room but paused at the door to glare at Feliciano, who started cowering before leaping behind Ludwig. "If you hurt him in any way, I'll make you wish for death!" The Prussian growled angrily before rushing off to find the bandages.

There was an awkward silence between the German and the Italian for a moment as they both avoided the other's eyes. It was Feliciano who broke it.

"Are you doing all right?" He asked timidly. Ludwig finally met his eyes with a sigh.

"Why are you here, Italy?" The German asked quietly. He ran his hand through his hair in an attempt to distract himself from the Italian in front of him. Feliciano winced as he saw the stained bandage wrapped around his old ally's wrist.

"Ve? Your wrist? What-?" He murmured grabbing the man's arm to examine it. Ludwig winced slightly at the pressure.

"I- I tried to cook Gil some breakfast... To thank him for everything he's done for me... Unfortunately I tore some of the stitches whilst reaching for one of the pans." Ludwig explained with a sheepish grin. It quickly vanished as he re-asked his question. "Why are you here, Italy?"

The Italian dropped the man's arm as well as his gaze, preferring to stare guiltily at his shoes. "...I came to apologise... And to explain myself... I never meant for you to hear me, especially not that part!" Ludwig froze, his entire frame tensing up.

Feliciano stopped talking and met Ludwig's panicked eyes. "Please just listen? I was confused. I didn't know what to think anymore, I hated you for what you did to me but I couldn't stop myself from... from... _Dio dannezione_!" The Italian swore angrily, hating how he couldn't bring the words past his lips. Tears stung his eyes as the frustration grew.

Ludwig's face had lost its cold mask, instead displaying all the fear and pain he'd been bottling up. Suddenly, the words didn't matter to Feliciano. If he couldn't say it he'd show it! The Italian grabbed the taller blonde's shoulders in a firm grip as he stood on his toes and pressed his lips to Ludwig's.

The German froze at first, shock registering on his face as Feliciano kissed him. After a moment though his lips began to move against the slight brunette's. His hands moved from his sides to wrap themselves around Feliciano's waist.

They remained like that for close to a minute before a loud cough drew their attention. They blushed fiercely as they leapt apart to face the Prussian. Gilbert chose to ignore the Italian as he walked up to Ludwig, throwing the first aid kit onto the bed as he grabbed his brother's arm and gently unwound the bandage.

All three of the nation's winced at the sight of the wound. The jagged line running up Ludwig's arm was red and swollen where it wasn't bleeding. "Damn it, West! I told you we had to clean it more often! You're going to need more antibiotics to clean this infection up!" Gilbert swore. "You might want to sit down... This will sting a bit," He added tenderly as an afterthought.

The German nodded and sat warily on the bed, doing his best to keep the blood from his wound from staining anything. Gilbert gave his brother an apologetic glance as he poured some antiseptic onto a cloth and pressed it to the cut. Ludwig bit his lip to hold back a scream as the antiseptic stung where it ran into the gash.

"Sorry... almost done." Gilbert murmured as he cleaned the wound. His brother sat stock still and rigid as he did his best to wipe the blood away without hurting Ludwig. He sighed with relief when he was able to throw the cloth to the floor and apply a fresh bandage. He really hated having to clean the wounds like that. He hated hurting his brother.

"Ve? Are you okay, Luddy?" Feliciano asked with a nervous glance at Gilbert. The Prussian ignored him, which the Italian took as a good sign.

" _Ja..._ " Ludwig hissed through clenched teeth. He held out his other wrist to his brother, whose eyes widened.

"Are you sure you want me to clean that one too?" Gilbert asked cautiously. Normally, there was at least a day's gap before cleaning the other wound. Ludwig glared at him before giving a resigned sigh.

"Just do it, _bruder_. It needs to be done..." He growled. His right wrist was still stinging from the antiseptic.

"...Fine. I'm sorry 'bout this, West..." Gilbert said apologetically as he slowly unwound the other bandage. His brother's wrist was inflamed and scarlet around the cut. Gilbert sighed as he got some more antiseptic. "You're going to need to get a doctor to look at that..." Ludwig just rolled his eyes at his brother's observation.

The German couldn't hold back a whimper as the antiseptic was pressed against the wound, the area more sensitive due to the slight infection. Feliciano slipped his hand into Ludwig's other hand, wincing slightly as it was crushed by the German's pained grip.

"Sorry, _bruder_... Just a little more..." Gilbert reassured. He hadn't missed what the Italian had done and he wasn't happy with it, but at least gave it Ludwig a small distraction from the sting of the antiseptic.

He also didn't miss the way Feliciano kissed away the small tears collecting by the blonde's blue eyes. He would have thought it sweet if he didn't have a grudge against the Italian.

"Italy, I need to talk to you!" Gilbert growled quietly as he walked away from his brother's room. After a lot of insistence on the Prussian's part, the German had agreed to rest for an hour or so.

"Ve? Sure, G-Prussia," The Italian murmured warily. "What about?"

"About what the hell it is you plan on doing to _mein bruder_!" Gilbert snarled angrily. Feliciano's eyes widened fearfully at the look on his face.

"Ve? I- I'm not going to hurt him if that's what you're asking... I- I think I might..." The Italian said quietly, his voice fading to a whisper.

"Might what? Hate him? Love him? Speak up, _gott verdammt_!"

"I think I might love him, okay!" Feliciano snapped in a rare show of bravery. Gilbert's eyes widened at the Italian's unexpected outburst.

There was a long silence. Suddenly, Gilbert punched a nearby wall with a frustrated scream. Feliciano jumped back in surprise and fear. Gilbert stayed in that position for a few moments, leaning against the wall and panting slightly. Finally, the albino moved back and leaned against the same wall that he had just punched. He sighed and covered his face with his hand.

"Well, _fick._ " He groaned from behind his hand. " _Fick, fick, fick."_ After a while, he uncovered his face and glared at Feliciano. "You know what? Fine. Fine. I'll give you another chance, but if you hurt him again, I'll make you wish for death!"

"...Ve? You don't want to shout at me?" Feliciano asked nervously.

The Prussian sighed. "No, Feli. You're forgiven. For now, at least... Do you want to dump your stuff in your room or should I bring it up for you?" Gilbert asked. Feliciano blinked in shock at the unusual offer of actually doing something for another living being. Prussia and courteous did not belong in the same sentence.

"Um... I don't actually have my stuff here..." The Italian said with a sheepish grin. "Can I call Lovi and ask him to bring my stuff?"

"I'll do it. You go stay with West. I seriously doubt that he's sleeping like I told him to..." The Prussian chuckled as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. Feliciano gave a cheerful grin as he ran back to the German's room.

Gilbert couldn't help but chuckle again as he scrolled through his contacts to find Lovino's number. A part of him (that wasn't hating the Italian) had missed the excitable brunette. He pressed dial and lounged against the wall while he waited for the Southern Italian to pick up. It didn't take long.

"You fucking bastard! You killed him, didn't you?! You fucking killed my little brother!" Lovino shouted. "How could you?! He was going to apolo-" His shouts turned to sobs as he envisioned his little brother's fate.

Gilbert rolled his eyes, even though he knew Romano wouldn't see. "Dude, he's fine! He's just upstairs with Ludwig, so I offered to call you to ask you to bring him some clothes!" The Italy brothers could be so idiotic at times...

"Liar! You killed him!" Gilbert sighed frustratedly.

"No, I didn't! Look, I'm just going to go put him on the phone. Maybe then you'll stop being an idiot!"

"Damn... I got blood on your shirt... Sorry about that," Ludwig murmured quietly as he saw the streak of blood on the back of Feliciano's shirt. It must have gotten on him when they kissed...

"Ve?" Feliciano asked quietly as he tried to turn and see the stain in question. "No problem, Luddy. It was an old shirt, anyways. I'll grab a new one when my brother gets here." He chuckled as he pulled the shirt over his head. Ludwig blushed slightly and started to look away until he caught sight of the scars on the Italian's chest. He tenderly ran his thumb along the circular marks.

"I should have killed the one responsible for this..." He muttered sadly. Feliciano's eyes widened.

"Don't you dare say that! I don't care what you did, or how you feel about it! Don't you ever try to kill yourself again!" The Italian begged. A small tear ran down his cheek at the thought of Ludwig trying-and succeeding-in his plan to die.

The German cocked his head to the side before running his finger against the lone tear, brushing it away from the Italian's face. "I meant the soldier, Feli. The soldier who shot you before I could stop him... I reached him too late..." Ludwig explained sadly.

"Ve? You were telling the truth when you said that? But-It was an excuse, wasn't it?" Feliciano murmured, feeling guilty. Was all the anger and hurt between them due to a misunderstanding?

"I would never lie to you, Feli... Never! I'd die before that happened!" The German said seriously, cupping Feliciano's face with his hand to look into his amber eyes. There was an unspoken promise in the German's gaze. _I will never hurt you..._

" _Dio..._ I'm so sorry, Luddy! I should have believed you..." The Italian pressed his lips to Ludwig's, trying to pour his apology into the kiss. Ludwig's lips had just started to move against his own when the door opened.

"Hey, Feli! Your idiot of a brother doesn't-Oh, fuck! Is it so difficult to lock the goddamn door?!" Gilbert shouted, exaggerating his surprise. Feliciano leapt away from Ludwig with a blush.

" _Bruder_ , it's not what it looks like!" Ludwig tried to explain.

"Ve! Gil, it's nothing! I swear!" Feliciano shouted nervously.

"Oh, really? 'Cause it looks like Feliciano's missing some clothes and was making out with you, West! Seriously, _bruder_. If you want to fuck him, PLEASE lock the door or something!" Gilbert said, eyes shining with amusement.

On the other end of the line, Lovino quickly hung up. Whatever his very much alive brother was doing, he didn't want to know...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Arthur sighed as he stood in front of Ludwig Beilschmidt's door. He really didn't want to be the one that got the signature to finalise the separation of East and West Germany. He doubted either of the German brothers would be willing to go along with it. He also suspected that Prussia would try to kill him if he tried. It would certainly explain why Alfred was so keen on sending the Englishman...

Arthur cursed softly before turning away from the door. Like hell he was going to walk into a situation where his death seemed likely. He'd just organise a meeting between the Allies and the former Axis powers. Prussia would be far less likely to attack him-well, successfully attack him-in public.

The Englishman waited until he was further down the road to take out his cellphone and type out the SMS. He kept it short and to the point in an attempt to ignore the fact that he'd chickened out.

 _Meeting to be held to finalise the repercussions of the war. All countries that are involved are to meet in the usual place at ten on Thursday. England._

He sent the message with a small sigh and pocketed the phone. America was going to give him hell for this... His phone immediately beeped as a message came through. Arthur looked at the sender and groaned. Speak of the devil.

 _Were the german's 2 scary 4 u Iggy? Do u need a hero to help? :)_

"Pain in the ass!" the Englishman growled as he typed out a reply.

 _No, you moron! Something important came up! Just come to the meeting, you twat! And for heaven's sake, use proper English! Is it that hard to write 'too'?!_

God, he hated the American! Why couldn't he just send a normal reply without trying to aggravate him?!

Gilbert cursed softly as he read the message. Another meeting? Were the Allies looking for a fight or something? He sighed as he wrote out a reply. England was going to hate him. Then again, his brother probably would as well considering how he wouldn't allow the German to go...

 _I'll be there to represent my brother and my awesome self. Prussia_

The reply came quickly and he growled out a few curses as he read it.

 _I need you both to be there! No excuses, you pompous git!_

The Englishman was pissed, but not as much as the Prussian. His little brother was staying at home and that was final.

 _I don't care what you say, arschloch. I'm going and he's staying!_

It was rare for someone to actually challenge the bloodthirsty ex-nation, but it appeared that Arthur was going to try. A message came almost the second after he'd replied.

 _He either comes or we hold the meeting at your place. Your choice, wanker!_

Gilbert swore loudly as he realised that he didn't actually have a choice. He was going to kill that asshole of a Brit!

 _Fine! He'll be there!_

There was no reply this time and Gilbert could almost see the Englishman smirking at having beaten him.

He sighed as he made his way up to Ludwig's room. If anyone was going to be happy about having to go, it would be his workaholic of a brother.

"Hey, West! Is the coast clear? Are all clothes where they are meant to be?" He asked sarcastically as he knocked on the closed door. He could hear Ludwig sigh and a giggle that had to have come from Feliciano.

" _Ja, bruder_! Do you have to ask that every time you want to come into my room?" Ludwig complained as Gilbert walked into the room. Gilbert's eyes widened as he took in the room.

"Wow. Looking good, West... But just one question. Why would you ever want to choose to clean your room when you could be fucking your little Italian?" His brother's room was no longer the mess it had been for the past year or so. Hell, the Prussian could actually see the floor!

"Why do you always think about sex, _bruder_? Is it such a bad thing to want to live in a neat environment?" Ludwig sighed as he put away a pile of clean and neatly folded clothes.

"You know me. I'm as much of a neat freak as you are, but when you have a hot little Italian sitting on the bed, neatness can wait!" Gilbert chuckled as Feliciano's eyes widened in shock.

"Ve?! ...G-Gil?!" The Italian stuttered, blushing furiously.

"Kesesese! Relax, Feli, I'm just messing with you!" The Prussian laughed as both his brother and the Italian in question glared at him. "I'm glad you decided to clean up, _bruder,_ but why isn't Feli helping? I don't want you to hurt yourself again..." Gilbert was honestly curious about why it was only the German cleaning while Feliciano sat out of the way.

Feliciano smiled sheepishly as he pointed to the corner of the room where a small pile of broken objects sat. "Ve... I broke some things, so Luddy told me to sit down and not touch anything..." He murmured guiltily.

Confused, Gilbert turned to his brother who shrugged as he finished putting away the clothes. " _Ja_ , he broke the alarm clock-" The ex-country interrupted his brother with a laugh.

"Well, that's not such a bad thing to break! Kesesese!" Ludwig silenced him with a glare.

"He also broke one of the drawers..." Gilbert's red eyes widened as he noticed the gaping hole in the chest of drawers where one of the drawers was missing. It lay in splinters on top of the of the broken alarm clock.

"How in _gott's_ name did you do that, Feli?!" Gilbert asked, a mixture of surprise, amusement and horror in his voice.

Feliciano just shrugged guiltily before replying. "I pulled on it too hard... ve... I may also have stood on it at one point..." Gilbert rolled his eyes. Only the Italian could and would do that...

" _Dummkopf_... Oh, there's a meeting on Thursday. We both have to go, West... You too, Feli..." Glibert murmured sulkily as he remembered.

"You're actually letting me go this time, _bruder_? Are pigs flying?" The German asked, surprise evident in his voice. He'd been fairly certain that it would be months before he would be allowed to go to a meeting.

" _Nein_. It was either that or have the meeting here..." He grumbled.

Ludwig chuckled. "Did Russia threaten you in order to convince you?" He asked. Gilbert glared at him angrily.

" _Nein_ , Russia did not threaten me! That Communist _arschloch_ doesn't scare me!" He shouted angrily. After a pause, he spoke up again, albeit grudgingly, "... It was England..." His brother started to chuckle whilst Feliciano gave him an understanding glance. The Prussian didn't know who he hated more...

" _Nein_ , England! You're the one being unreasonable here!" Prussia snarled at the wide-eyed Englishman. All the other countries were staring at the angry country with shock and a bit of fear. This was the once formidable country who'd terrorised the other countries when at war with them. The albino's red eyes glowed with anger as he stood, straight and trembling with fury, and shouted at England.

"Prussia! Calm-" England tried to shout, but he was quickly cut off by the furious Prussian.

" _Nein_! You refuse to see the truth! You would rather turn _mein bruder_ into a fucking scapegoat than face the atrocities that all the others committed! What about Operation Keelhaul? Have you been punished for that? _Nein_! You are still doing it! What about the Nanking Massacre? Or the Japanese burying the Chinese soldiers alive? Have you punished Japan for that? And I know for a fact that Russia organised the mass rape of German women as well as his own concentration camps!" Prussia shouted. Japan looked down guiltily and avoided eye contact with those in the room.

The albino didn't stop there, turning his fury to America. Both looked away guiltily. "And what about America?! He imprisoned his own civilians just because they were German, Italian or Japanese immigrants! I mean, _gott verdammt_! In what way is that fair?! You all are blaming _mein bruder_! Even Japan, the last to surrender, would prefer to blame Ludwig for the bombs rather than his own refusal to surrender and his own bombing of Pearl Harbour! _Ja,_ we made mistakes, but I refuse to let _mein bruder_ shoulder all of the blame!"

"Why don't you let Germany speak? He's perfectly capable of looking after himself!" America growled, masking his guilt. He wasn't enjoying having his mistakes pointed out by the angry Prussian.

Prussia laughed coldly before grabbing his brother's arm and pulling him upright. Germany bit back a yelp at the sudden pressure on his wounds. "Capable of looking after himself?!" The albino snarled as he peeled back his brother's sleeves to reveal the stark white bandages on Germany's wrists. A horrified silence fell upon the room as all of the nations present stared at them.

"Does this look like he was looking after himself?!" Prussia yelled as he released his brother. "Does it look like he can cope to you?!"

There was panic in Germany's eyes as he hurriedly pulled his sleeves back down to hide the bandages. He could feel the other nations staring at him, at his moment of weakness... He could feel himself breaking, losing his cold and indifferent mask...

"Luddy…?" Feliciano's voice and his small hand on his shoulder were the last straw. With the other countries' eyes on him, Ludwig turned and bolted from the meeting room, doing his best to hide the tears that were streaking down his face.

He didn't hear Italy or Prussia calling his name or hear England as he turned to the rest of the Allies and admit that they had made a mistake. He just needed to get out…

* * *

 **Operation Keelhaul: August 14, 1946-May 9, 1947**

 **Carried out in Northern Italy by British and American forces to repatriate Soviet Armed Forces POWs of the Nazis to the Soviet Union**

 **Nanking Massacre: December 13, 1937-January 1938**

 **Also known as Rape of Nanking**

 **Nanjing, China**

 **50,000-300,000 killed**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry for the late posting. I've been in a slump again.**

 **As a side note, the Russia in here is** ** _not_** **how I perceive APH Russia. He has been selected as the bad guy due to the circumstances of the plot and thus will act as such.**

Chapter Twelve

The nations all stared in mutual silence as they watched Ludwig run from the room. They caught sight of a few tears already running down his face as he broke down before their eyes. None of them could believe that the strong and proud German nation had just shattered. He was the last one they'd expected to be capable of being broken.

"Luddy! Wait!" Feliciano shouted as he too bolted from the room. The others could just stare in shock at what had happened.

"Fuck, West..." Gilbert murmured as he collapsed into his seat. "Are you happy now, bastards?" He accused the silent nations in the room.

"We... may have acted unwisely... and irrationally before..." England quietly admitted. He refused to meet the Prussian's eyes.

"Damn right you did! So how about you fuckers try to fix it while I go find _mein bruder_?" Gilbert hissed angrily as he pushed himself to his feet.

"Wait! Prussia...how long has this been going on?" America asked timidly. It was weird to see the arrogant nation looking so young and vulnerable.

"For more than a fucking year, _arschloch_! Since the end of the war!"

Ludwig didn't know where he was running, he just knew that he had to run. He'd just lost everything. Even when he'd lost the respect of the other nations during the war and the friendship of both Feliciano and Kiku, he'd still had at least a bit of his pride. And that had just been torn away from him when the others saw the wounds and his pain.

Was life even worth living when one lost everything?

Feliciano's eyes widened with fear when he finally caught up to Ludwig. They were both standing on the roof of the building with the German nation perched on the edge overlooking the city. Tears still streamed down his face as he stared at the ground from where he stood, but a sad and resigned smile lingered on his lips.

He'd lost everything but this... Would it really be so bad to lose his life as well? It would be quick... Just a minute of falling and then nothing... The voice in his head urged him to jump. To let go of the wall he clung to and fall.

"Luddy! Don't!" Feliciano yelled in a blind panic as he saw the blonde close his eyes. Ludwig opened his eyes in shock. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen...

" _I- Italia_?" The German murmured quietly as he turned to meet Feliciano's amber coloured eyes with his own blue ones. "Please... Just leave me... I don't deserve you!" He tried to choke back a sob in vain. The Italian ran towards the edge of the roof and grabbed the German's wrists before he could let go.

"Don't do this, Ludwig! I won't leave! If you fall, I will as well!" Feliciano begged, gripping Ludwig's wrist tighter to prove his point. The German's eyes widened.

"No, Feli... Please, I've lost everything! I've lost my respect, my friends, my pride, I even lost you! Why should I even continue trying to fix what's broken?" Ludwig sobbed, his eyes bloodshot from the tears.

"You never lost me, Ludwig! I was always yours! What about Gilbert? You never lost him! Please! Stay for me! I love you!" Feliciano pleaded as he pressed his lips to the German's. His eyes widened fearfully as he felt Ludwig's hands loosen their grip out of shock, making him slip forward slightly as he was pulled with the German.

"Fuck!" Gilbert shouted as he grabbed his brother's and Feliciano's shirt and pulled them both to safety. The Italian's eyes were wide and he was panting fearfully. The adrenaline coursing through his veins made his heart pound in his chest.

"Are you okay, Feli?" The Prussian asked anxiously. The Italian just nodded slightly from where he'd collapsed on the floor. With a sigh of relief that at least one of them was okay, he turned to his brother.

Ludwig was curled up on the concrete, his body wracked by harsh sobs. "Shhh... West, It's okay..." The former nation comforted as he wrapped his arms around his brother.

"I'm so-sorry bruder... I'm so sorry..." Ludwig whispered.

"No, West, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have shown them... I thought it was the only way to get them to see sense... I'm so sorry, _bruderlein_!" The albino whispered against the German's hair

" _Nein, bruder_! It's my fault! I'm weak! I shouldn't need you to defend me!" Ludwig cried out as he held onto his brother. He felt a cautious hand on his shoulder.

"You're not weak, Luddy... You never have been..." Feliciano murmured as he took the nation from Gilbert. The Prussian allowed the German to leave his arms and go to the Italian's. Ludwig didn't answer, just continued to sob.

"Take him home, Feli. I'll finish up the meeting..."

"Please! There has to be some way of avoiding it!" Gilbert begged. None of the nations could look him in eye.

"I'm sorry, Prussia... I tried to talk to my boss, but he wouldn't listen. I could barely get him to change the repercussions to include the others and spread the punishments more equally." England murmured, his eyes full of regret.

" _Gott verdammt_! You can't separate us! not while he's like this! It will kill him and his country! Please just let me stay with him!" The Prussian pleaded. He no longer cared about the repercussions of the other countries involved. He didn't care if the Italy brothers lost all of their colonies bar one or if Japan got occupied by the Allies. He just needed to prevent the separation of East and West Germany.

"I'm sorry... We tried to-"

"You have to be able to do something! This is _mein bruder_ we're talking about!"

"We don't have a choice, Prussia... I'm sorry, but the wall is going up..."

"At least let me go and say goodbye to him! You have to let me do that at least! I need to see him!"

" _Gott_ , West! I don't want to do this! I promise you that I don't want to ever leave you!" Gilbert sobbed as he hugged his brother. The German was also in tears as he clung to him.

"Don't leave me! I need you, _bruder_!" Ludwig begged. It was breaking almost all the nations' hearts to watch the two brothers.

"Come, Prussia. We need to go, да?" Russia murmured cheerfully, the only one not affected by the heart-wrenching display. Both of the German brothers stiffened at his words. Feliciano moved closer to Ludwig and put his arms around him.

"Never, you bastard! You'll have to force me to leave! I'm not abandoning _mein bruderlein_!" The Prussian snarled angrily as he spun to face the Russian. Russia just smiled as the albino charged at him with a raised fist.

England and America immediately ran and held back Ludwig as a loud crunch filled the air.

" _Bruder_!" The German sobbed as Prussia collapsed in a heap. Blood stained his snow-white hair as he lay unconscious at Russia's feet. The frigid country stood above him, holding onto the water pipe he kept on him at all times.

With a sigh Russia knelt and picked up Prussia, ignoring the German's pleas for his brother to get up. "We can go, да?" The Russian asked as he slung the unconscious albino over his shoulder and began to walk away.

England and America murmured their apologies quietly as they let go of Ludwig. The German immediately collapsed to the ground, shaking with silent sobs. Feliciano fell to his knees beside him as he wrapped his arms around Ludwig and held him tight. Tears ran down his face as well as he murmured to the German.

"He was one of the last things I had left! I'm losing everything!" Ludwig cried quietly.

"Not everything...I'm here...You'll always have me, Luddy. I won't ever leave you..."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry, this is a bit of a short one. Remember, this Russia is not exactly APH Russia.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

" _Gott verdammt,_ Russia! Fucking let me go!" Gilbert snarled angrily as he launched himself at the locked door of his room. He didn't pay any attention to sharp sting of pain that came when hit the door. It was no different to the rest of the marks on his body; he could live with it.

His pale skin was covered in bruises and cuts but he refused to break for the Slavic country. He wouldn't bow and scrape before him like the smaller countries that he conquered.

"Нет _,_ Prussia. I'll let you out when you become one with me." Russia giggled from behind the door. A string of curses in both German and English answered him. The larger country sighed. "Still so much fighting spirit... I will break you eventually."

"Not on your life, bastard!" The albino shouted as he crashed into the door again. "Take down the fucking wall and stop killing my fucking people!" Gilbert had watched as the soldiers had put up barricades between the Eastern and Western segments of the country, crying out in rage as his people had been shot trying to escape into West Germany.

"Нет, they must learn to become one with me, just like you." There was another crash as Gilbert ran into the door once more. "You're like a little bird, Prussia... Stuck in a room and madly fluttering your wings to escape. My little bird, да? How does it feel to know that America is the reason you're here with me?"

"I am nobody's little fucking bird!" Gilbert roared as he rammed the door again and again. "You will pay for this, Russia! Even if I have to spend my entire life hunting you down! You're the reason I'm here, not America!"

Russia chuckled. "If he wasn't such a coward, I wouldn't have separated you from your dear little brother... He saw what I planned to do but he was to scared to stop me. I needn't have done this but I need the control. After all, I need to show that democratic dick who's boss, да?. Maybe my little bird can help me." There was another stream of curses from the caged Prussian.

" _Fick dich_!  You are the one that's holding me fucking captive! You are the reason why _mein bruderlein_ has limited fucking resources!  You are the reason _mein bruderlein_ is fucking alone! You! Not America!" Gilbert growled angrily.

"But don't you know, little bird? Your little brother is dead because of America... do you want to change your answer?" Russia said sweetly. There was silence behind the door.

" _Was? Nein_! You-You're lying! Feli! Feliciano was with him! He couldn't have! _Nein_! I don't believe you, you motherfucker!" The albino shouted, refusing to believe the words.

"Your little brother killed himself shortly after we left... His 'Feli' couldn't stop him. America is thus responsible for his death, да?"

Gilbert collapsed against the wall, ignoring the streaks of blood that his wounds left. " _Nein! Nein! Nein!_ He couldn't! He wouldn't! West! Please! You're lying! _Mein bruderlein_ -"

"-Is dead. I'll leave you for now, but I expect you to have an answer for me later, да? You will become one with me, Prussia, one way or another ..." Russia smiled in satisfactions and left to the sound of sobs coming from behind the locked door.

" _Nein_... Please... _Bruderlein_! Please say he's lying! Please, _Bruderlein! Nein! Nein! Nein_..." The albino sobbed bitterly. He had to be lying! Had to be! His little brother had to be alive!

He had to...

"Please, Luddy, come eat..." Feliciano begged. The German just looked at him sadly before shaking his head.

" _Nein, Italia_... I'm not hungry..." Ludwig murmured. He'd been eating very little since his brother had been taken away.

"Please, Ludwig... You have to eat! I'm getting worried about you, Luddy!" The German's clothes appeared to hang from his frame. The Italian had also lost weight but only a small amount in comparison to the German.

"Sorry, Feli, but I'm not hungry..." Ludwig insisted. Feliciano frowned before sitting down next to the German.

"Please, Luddy?" He begged, looking up at the German sadly. "Big Brother France sent us some nice food this time... Not England's crappy tasteless stuff!" He tried to joke. Ludwig didn't even smile. He just sighed sadly.

" _Nein_ , Feli..." The Italian pressed his lips to the German's before pulling away to look Ludwig in the eye.

"Please, Ludwig? For me?" He murmured quietly, pleading with Ludwig.

The German sighed before standing, pulling the Italian with him. "Fine... For you..."

Even with Feliciano's coaxing, Ludwig only ate a small amount of the food sent by France. The Italian frowned slightly, but didn't comment. He knew that Ludwig hated eating and living in comfort when his people were starving and struggling to survive.

He also didn't comment when the German set down his knife and fork and put his head in his hands. All the Italian did was set down his own cutlery and put his arms around Ludwig, allowing him to sob without questioning it.

" _Gott verdammt_ , Feli! I miss him..." Ludwig murmured quietly. Feliciano remained silent for a minute.

"I know, Luddy. I do, too..."

"Have you chosen yet, Prussia? You will join me, да?" Russia asked with an angelic smile. Gilbert just glared at him in response, his eyes redder than usual. The Prussian sighed wearily before standing and facing the larger country.

" _Ja_ , Russia... I have decided..."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm really speed-editing this, so please tell me if you spot any errors. Thanks!**

Chapter Fourteen

"Have you chosen yet, Prussia? You will join me, да?" Russia asked with an angelic smile. Gilbert just glared at him in response. His eyes were bloodshot, making his eyes redder than usual. The Prussian sighed wearily before standing and facing the Russian.

" _Ja_ , Russia... I have decided..." Gilbert paused for a second before smirking and looking the cruel and cold country in front of him in the eye. Still smirking, the albino spat in Russia's face.

"You can shove your fucking offer up your ass!" He snarled angrily as the Russian calmly wiped the spit away.

"You don't want to avenge your brother?" Russia asked curiously, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Gilbert bared his throat arrogantly. "Oh, I will avenge him! I will kill you for his death! America had nothing to do with it, you jackass! It was you!" The Prussian shouted, furiously wiping away the single tear that ran down his cheeks at the mention of Ludwig.

"My little bird is too blind to see, да?" Russia murmured as he brushed away the tear. With a feral growl, Gilbert grabbed the Russian's wrist and pushed him off.

"Don't you fucking touch me! You are responsible for it! I will fucking kill you!" Russia just smiled and pulled his hand from the Prussian's iron grip, staring at him thoughtfully for a second before slamming him against the wall by his throat.

"And how will you do that? You are my little bird, stuck in his little cage." He chuckled at the way Gilbert struggled, flinging insults at him in all the languages he knew when he found himself pinned. He tried to escape, but to no avail; he was too weakened from the strain and lack of food his body had been put through. "You will become one with me eventually, Prussia," He threatened before releasing the man.

Gilbert fell to the ground panting and glaring at the departing figure. "My people will fight you, Russia! I will be the one to fucking kill you!" Russia paused at the door and turned his head to glare at the other country.

"Your people are mine, Prussia. Any trouble from you and I will kill them one by one, да?" He smiled at the way the Prussian collapsed, hopelessness driving him back to his knees. "You are my little bird. Just accept it and become one, да?"

" _Nein_! Never! You killed Ludwig! You killed _mein bruderlein_!" Gilbert snarled, tears clouding his vision. _Killed mein bruderlein..._ It was the first time that the Prussian had said the words aloud. The first time he'd acknowledged it.

Russia smiled but left the room, leaving Gilbert to his thoughts.

He was dead... He'd never see him again... Gilbert was... alone?

With his words still racing around his head, the Prussian curled into a ball on the floor and sobbed. "Why, West? Why?" The cracked words escaped his throat as he lost himself in his grief.

 _"Please! Don't leave me, bruder!" Ludwig begged holding onto his brother's shirt. He could feel the other nations staring at them, Feliciano standing behind him._

 _Gilbert just smiled arrogantly. "We always leave you in the end, West, haven't you realised this by now?" The other countries turned and walked away from them, fading before the German's tear-filled eyes._

 _"Please! I don't want to be alone! Gil! Feli!" The Italian just walked past him and vanished without even a glance in his direction._

 _"Bruder! Please-" Ludwig pleaded, he was silenced by Gilbert's hands closing around his throat._

 _"Goodbye, bruder..." The hands began to tighten as-_

"Luddy! Wake up!" Feliciano begged, shaking Ludwig's shoulder to wake him. The German yelped as he jerked awake, panting and staring around the room fearfully. He flinched when Feliciano's hand touched his shoulder.

"Please... I'm sorry... Don't leave-" Ludwig murmured in a panic.

"It's okay, Ludwig...It's okay...It was just a nightmare." The Italian murmured as Ludwig slowly started to calm down.

"R-Right... Just a nightmare..." The German panted. He didn't question the Italian on why he was in his bed. Ludwig had given up on chasing the Italian out of his bed a while ago, as he had learned that Feliciano would just sneak back in anyway.

"Was it the same one?" Feliciano asked nervously, moving closer to the German.

Ludwig just nodded slightly as he leaned into Feliciano, enjoying the contact more than he cared to admit. He didn't need to go into which nightmare they were talking about. They both knew how it went.

The Italian frowned slightly as he felt the German shiver slightly. That nightmare had haunted his sleep for the past week. Feliciano cocked his head to the side thoughtfully before pressing his lips to Ludwig's, trying to kiss away the pain left behind from the dream.

"...I can chase away the dream... If you want..." He breathed against the German's lips. He saw Ludwig's eyes widen as he pulled away anxiously.

"You-You would?" He murmured softly, eyes widening further when he saw Feliciano nod. "I don't want to hurt you again..."

Feliciano just laughed as he pressed himself closer to the German. "You could never hurt me, Luddy! I trust you..." He pressed his lips to Ludwig's again and couldn't hold back a gentle smile when he felt the German's lips move against his.

He would chase the nightmare away...


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: WARNING! SEXY TIMES AHEAD! If you're uncomfortable reading such material, I'll leave a note where you can skip it and go on to the next part. I'll also leave a summary. :)**

 **I'd translate some of the words here, but you get the gist.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Ludwig couldn't stop himself as he felt the kiss heat up, Feliciano's lips moving faster and more urgently against his own. His anxiety about hurting the Italian faded as he felt Feliciano press himself into him.

"Relax... You won't hurt me..." Feliciano breathed softly as he lightly nipped the German's neck. Ludwig gasped slightly before flipping them so that he was leaning over the Italian. Feliciano didn't protest at the change of position, just ran his agile hands under the German's shirt.

Ludwig moaned as the Italian toyed with his nipples before stripping him of his shirt. He heard it land on the floor as Feliciano sat up slightly and pressed his lips to Ludwig's chest, lightly sucking on the skin. The German quickly pulled the Italian's shirt off, hating the small period of time where Feliciano had to lean back and away from him.

The minute the material was out of the way they returned to stroking the other's bare torso, smirking when a brush to a sensitive spot made one of them groan. Ludwig let out a breathy moan as he ground his hips into the Italian's, letting him feel the growing hardness. Feliciano smiled and lightly pressed his lips against the German's as he rolled his hips against Ludwig's.

They were both panting as they continued pressing into the other, light strokes and kisses being shared between them. It was Ludwig who broke the contact, sitting up despite the Italian's pout.

The German smirked as he ran his hands along Feliciano's stomach, making the smaller of the two squirm and pant. His hands continued to trace small patterns down the bare skin as they headed to the waistband of Feliciano's shorts.

Ludwig gently pressed his lips to his soon to be lover's before pulling down the boxers. Feliciano shivered slightly as the cold air met his erection. He didn't let the chill in the air deter him, though, and leaned up to pull Ludwig's shorts off of him. Both men leaned into each other once all clothing had been removed, relishing the feel of flesh on flesh.

"Suck..." Ludwig ordered as he placed his fingers in front of Feliciano's mouth. The Italian complied, running his tongue over the digits as he did so. He moaned around the fingers when the German started running his fingers along his hardened cock.

Ludwig's hand was the only thing that moved for a minute as he waited for his fingers to be suitably slickened. He pulled them out when he deemed them acceptable, placing one at Feliciano's entrance before pausing.

The Italian placed his hands on the German's back and looked into his eyes before leaning in again and giving him a soft kiss. "Ve? It's okay, do it..." He murmured softly, his eyes hazed over with lust. Ludwig gave him an apologetic look before sliding his finger inside of the Italian.

Feliciano gasped slightly at the feeling before letting out a breathy moan. His nails dug into the German's back when a second and third finger was slipped inside of him and Ludwig started scissoring gently in an attempt to stretch him.

He hadn't expected it to sting like this... Feliciano knew it would be worth it, though, and tried to hide the small amount of pain in his eyes. He knew that if the German thought that he was hurting the Italian he would stop and that was the last thing Feliciano wanted...

Ludwig wasn't fooled though. He leaned forward and kissed away one of the small tears forming at the corners of the Italian's eyes. "I'm hurting you... _Gott!_ I'm such a monster!" He groaned as he pulled away from Feliciano.

" _Dio!_ " Feliciano gasped as his back arched away from the mattress. One of Ludwig's fingers had grazed his prostate as he'd pulled away. " _Fanculo_ , Luddy! I want you!" He begged, Ludwig just stared at him sadly before getting off of him and lying down next to him.

" _Nein,_ Feli... I don't want to hurt you..." The German murmured softly, a light blush still dusting his cheeks. His body was trying to betray him as, despite his panic about hurting the Italian, his erection refused to dissipate. The last thing he expected was to hear Feliciano curse in Italian and straddle him himself.

Ludwig couldn't restrain a moan when their erections rubbed together. "Listen to me, Ludwig, I don't care if you hurt me! Ve- I want this!" Feliciano moaned as he ground their hips together for a second. Both men's eyes widened as the Italian took in his lover's full length; Ludwig's in shock and lust and Feliciano's in slight pain.

The Italian didn't let that stop him though and simply bit his lip as he started to ride the German. The pain didn't last long, and Feliciano shouted out Ludwig's name as his prostate was struck. Soon they were both panting and moaning the other's name, a light sheen of sweat covering them both.

Feliciano tossed his head back in ecstasy after a particularly hard thrust to the small collection of nerves inside him sent him over the edge. With a cry of the German's name, he came over their chests.

The Italian's muscles clenching around him and the cry of his name was all it took for Ludwig to follow. He shivered slightly as he moaned Feliciano's name and came inside of him.

Panting, Feliciano collapsed against Ludwig's chest. He ignored the state the bed was in as he wrapped his arms around him. The German froze for a second at the contact but soon learnt into the touch. The Italian smiled as he felt Ludwig drift off to sleep. He'd chased away the nightmare...

 **A/N: Sexy times are over. Basically, Italy succeeded** **in chasing away the nightmares, if ya know what I mean. ;)**

"Am I correct in assuming that this meeting is about Germany?" England asked wearily. He had a feeling that he'd have to spend the entire meeting keeping an eye on Russia and America. The two rivals were glaring at each other.

"Yes, tea bastard, it is! Now would everyone behave for just one fucking second so we can finish this up without fucking killing each other?" Romano growled. He threw a glare in the direction of the two currently quarreling countries as an extra warning. Neither of them paid him any attention.

"Why do you care, Romano? Don't you hate Ludwig?" Japan asked quietly. He was still wracked by guilt over what had happened.

The southern half of Italy just smirked. "I don't give a damn about the potato bastard. Unfortunately, my idiot brother is also involved... So how about we start and try to wrap this up, _sí_?"

"Romano's right. We-though some more than others-are responsible, so we should try to fix it." England stated with a pointed glance in America's direction.

The young country broke away from his glaring match with Russia, ignoring his rival's triumphant smile. "Hey! You're just as guilty as me! At least I'm the hero and can fix it! All you do is send them crappy food!"

"At least I'm sending them food! And what do you mean, 'crappy'?!"

"Honhon, _mon ami_ , I know for a fact that Italy asked for me to send the food in the future!" France chuckled.

"Shut up, wanker!" England shouted as he turned on the Frenchman, slightly red. Romano sighed in frustration as the Englishman, Frenchman and American started arguing. Why the fuck did every meeting end like this?

"Would everyone calm down? You're acting like children, aru!" China shouted. The three fighting nations immediately stopped shouting at each other, looking at the older man guiltily.

" _Grazie_ , you can go kill each other later! Now, what are we going to do about the potato bastard?" Romano asked with a scowl.

"Well... I guess the biggest problem is the fact that he's been separated from his brother... let's just reunite them!" America offered. England shook his head wearily.

"It's not that easy, America. Their economy and government is in tatters... reuniting them now would just destroy the entire country." The Englishman explained.

"So? We must just fix the government first, _mon ami_. The faster we do it, the better." France shrugged.

"I agree with France, but I'm afraid that there is not much I can do, aru..." China murmured guiltily.

Japan nodded. "I am in the same boat as China. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do so... but you must realise that my own people come first."

"Well, then! We fix the economy and the government and then I can be the hero and reunite Prussia and Germany! So, do we agree?" America shouted happily. All but one country nodded in agreement.

"Нет. I do not agree with you, Америка. The war and my people must come first, да? I don't have the resources available to focus on East Germany's economy and government." Russia explained. The other nations were silent for a second.

"Why must you always disagree with me?! I thought we agreed on a truce until we fix Germany!" the American asked. The other country just shrugged.

"I have a better position with Germany like this, да? More territory, more soldiers and ammunition. Maybe I want to keep the advantage, да?"

"Russia, back down. It's a majority vote to focus on Germany first." England said with just a touch of pleading in his voice. He could see America out of the corner of his eye struggling to hold onto his composure.

"Нет. You can do what you want with Germany, but Prussia is mine. East Germany's government and economy will remain Communist." With that as a final explanation, the Russian stood and walked out the room.

America was trembling with anger. "I'm going to kill him..." He murmured as he collapsed back in his seat. He couldn't even remember standing...

Romano sighed, slightly unnerved by the confrontation with Ivan. "Just do what you can, hamburger bastard. I'll keep the meeting from my stupid brother and the potato bastard. Just sort it out so life can get back to normal, _sí_?"

France spoke up, his face grim. "So we agree, then? We'll fix the situation in West Germany so that we can leave the country unoccupied and self sufficient. America? Finish the war as quickly as possible. We need to reunite Germany with Prussia." As the other countries silently filed out of the room, the romantic country said a silent prayer for the Prussian trapped in Russia's clutches.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: WARNING- THIS CHAPTER DOES CONTAIN RATHER GRAPHIC RAPE. AS BEFORE, I WILL MARK WHEN THIS SCENE STARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SECTION DOES GO UNTIL THE END OF THE CHAPTER. I APOLOGISE TO ANYONE WHO FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE READING SUCH CONTENT.**

 **Honestly, it was horrible for me to edit, too.**

 **P.S. "Esel", as far as I know, is German for jackass. Feel free to correct me on this.**

Chapter Sixteen

"You will accept my offer, да?" Russia asked once more, coldly glaring at Prussia. The albino, skin paler from blood loss, glared back up at him before spitting blood on the floor.

"Never, you fucking murderer." He hissed as he pushed himself back to his feet, swaying slightly. The Prussian was barely recognizable now. The weeks and months spent with the cold country had left cuts and bruises all over his body. Gilbert was a shadow of his former self, but his spirit refused to break.

"I can keep this up forever, little bird, just accept the truth. America was responsible for your brother's death, да?" To prove his point, Russia allowed another blow to fall on the albino, making the man fall to his knees.

"Fucking-" Gilbert snarled out, refusing to scream for the monster before him. " _Nein! Nein!_ You were! You will pay for it even if it kills me!"

Russia gave a slightly child-like pout before sighing. Despite the constant beatings and torment, despite the lack of food, the Prussian refused to break. He didn't beg or scream or even accept his offer to fight with the Russian against America. Every blow just made him curse and threaten those hurting him. How disappointing.

"I can do a lot worse than this, Prussia, and I will do so if you don't do what I say..." Russia threatened, raising a brow at the stubborn country. The threat didn't appear to concern Gilbert. He simply pushed himself back to his feet again with a smirk on his face.

"Do your fucking worst! I dare you, _arschloch!_ "

"I can't leave him there..." Ludwig murmured against Feliciano's hair as they lay in the German's bed. Feliciano frowned slightly before turning his head to look at the blonde.

"I know... but you know that the others won't allow it," He explained, referring to the Allies that still held a portion of the German nation. It didn't matter what Ludwig wanted to do. The armies were all in the control of other people.

"I didn't mean it like that... Sending an army into _mein bruder's_ part of the country will hurt him more than it would Russia. I meant go in alone and get him out..." Ludwig appeared thoughtful to Feliciano's eyes, making the Italian's own eyes widen anxiously.

"What?! No! Russia would kill both of you if you tried!" Feliciano pleaded. Ludwig smiled before pressing a kiss to the Italian's forehead. He'd healed a lot in the weeks he'd spent with Feliciano and his eyes no longer seemed as dead.

"You underestimate me, _Italien_. I'd be fine... I just can't leave him. His half of the country is in ruins, and that would only happen if he's hurting badly. I don't want to even think about what that _esel_ is doing to him!" Feliciano shook his head frantically.

"Please don't! I don't want to lose you again!" He begged, even though he could see the resolution and determination in the German's eyes. "Ve! I'm going with you, then!" The blonde's eyes widened.

" _Nein_ , you could get hurt!"

"I don't care, Luddy! I'm going with you!"

Ludwig looked torn for a second before sighing and pulling the Italian close to him. "I can't say no to you, can I? You'd better not get yourself killed..."

 **[Okay, but the rape scene basically starts here. All you need to know is that Russia breaks Prussia by, well...raping him. I'm so sorry.]**

Gilbert cursed frantically as he struggled to free his arms from the rope that bound them behind his back. He could sense the Russian somewhere behind him but couldn't see him from his position.

"One last chance, Prussia. Will you become one with Russia willingly?" Russia murmured as he ran his fingers across the prussian's bare back, feeling the crisscrossing scars that decorated the flesh. All of the marks on the albino's skin had been exposed to the air.

"Fuck you!" Prussia snarled as he tried yet again to break his bonds. It wasn't just his hands; his ankles were held down as well. That didn't stop him from tugging and straining at the thick rope, ignoring the burn that came when it rubbed against his skin.

Russia sighed sadly before allowing his hands to wander lower, ignoring the angry shout when the fingers brushed against Gilbert's ass and lingered there. The pressure remained for a second before it was removed and Gilbert breathed a soft sigh of relief.

The sigh quickly turned into a scream of pain as the Russian entered him without warning or preparation. Ivan smiled as the long awaited scream left Gilbert's Prussian was finally breaking.

With a quick curse, Gilbert bit back the scream. He wouldn't give the Russian abusing him the pleasure of hearing his pain. He could feel warmth running down the back of his thighs as Russia's movements became smoother and he knew it was blood. He could feel it stinging every time the Russian moved.

He didn't scream and didn't beg, but he didn't swear at him, either. He was too busy biting his lip to hold back pained cries. He could feel his skin tearing every time Russia forced his way into his entrance. However, he couldn't keep quiet when, after a rather hard thrust into him, The Russian came, the cum stinging his torn flesh and mingling with the blood.

The Prussian lay still as he panted painfully, a light sheen of sweat covering his naked body where blood didn't. He felt the Russian pull out of him and untie him but he didn't move. Pain wracked his entire torso when Russia forced him to look into the Russian's violet eyes.

"I said you would become one with me, да? Do you accept my offer?" The Russian couldn't help but smile when he saw the pain and a flicker of fear in the albino's eyes. It didn't bother him when Prussia didn't answer his question. It was simply proof that Eastern Germany was breaking.

"I'm sorry, _bruderlein_... I can't do this... I can't do this..." Prussia murmured sadly when Russia left the room. He curled into a ball on the bed and silently broke down, ignoring the blood, sweat and semen staining the sheets. Painful spasms ran down his spine with every ragged breath.

Tears ran down his cheeks as he sobbed, but for once the mighty Prussia didn't care.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hi. I'm not dead. I'm so sorry for not updating earlier; I had motivation problems and a slight problem involving school-issued chromebooks. Hopefully, I'm up and running now.**

Chapter Seventeen

"Come now, little bird, you can't stay like this forever." Russia said, cocking his head as he stared down at the prone figure. Prussia remained silent and refused to look his captor in the eyes. It had been a week since he'd been raped by the man-no, monster, he didn't deserve to be called a man-and a week since he'd last spoken or moved willingly.

"I won't do it again if you agree to join me, Gilbert. Just say the words..." Russia murmured as he gripped his captive by the chin and forced the dead eyes to meet his violet ones. Gilbert flinched at his true name slipping out of Russia's mouth.

"...Just kill me..." Gilbert murmured so quietly that Russia could barely hear it. The albino's blood red eyes remained dead. Russia just smiled and shook his head before releasing the man.

"Нет. You will join me. I won't let you have the easy way out."

A light flickered in Gilbert's eyes. It wasn't much, but it was still there. Russia watched impassively as Gilbert struggled to his feet, swaying. "Why not?! I will never join you! There's no point in keeping me alive! If you had a drop of mercy in your fucking veins you'd fucking kill me!" Gilbert shouted, voice cracking. "Let me join my _bruderlein_ , Russia... before I do it myself!" The albino raised his head and met Russia's eyes, ignoring the pain that shot through his body. His wounds had just begun to heal, and now they shrieked in protest.

Russia just continued smiling. "And how would you do that, little bird? There is no way that you can kill yourself without me stopping you. Face it, little bird...you are mine now, and I will continue to use you as I please until you admit it." He turned and left, calling out behind him, "And I am prepared to wait as long as I have to until that happens!"

"I can't believe you talked me into this..." England growled as he crept down the road heading to Russia's East German residence.

"But you offered to come with us." Feliciano pointed cheerfully, trying to press himself closer to Ludwig as he did so.

England stiffened and looked around nervously. Once he was sure nobody had noticed them, he whipped back around to face Feliciano.

"Would you shut up?!" He hissed furiously. "Are you trying to get us killed?! I said that you weren't getting yourselves killed on my watch, not that I was happy to join in in your hare-brained scheme!" When it came to espionage and other such activities, Feliciano truly was useless.

"Thanks for doing this Arthur... Feli, you need to keep quiet!" Ludwig murmured quietly. His-boyfriend? England wasn't quite sure anymore.-nodded eagerly and opened his mouth to say something, but Ludwig quickly put a finger to his mouth, shutting the excitable Italian up.

The Englishman sighed. The last thing he wanted to be doing was sneaking into Russian territory with two ex-Axis members, one of whom didn't know the meaning of quiet, to rescue the leader of the Axis Powers's psychotic brother from an even more psychotic Russian. Nevertheless, he felt as if he owed them. After all...

"Just don't get us killed and follow my lead. If I say to get out, we get out, got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Keep it down, you moron!"

England was amazed. Somehow, they'd managed to sneak into the house. Russia, thank whatever gods were out there, wasn't home, which let them freely roam the house for Gilbert. They'd managed to search every room, save-surprise, surprise-the basement. Process of elimination indicated that this was the room they were looking for.

He sighed before turning to Feliciano and Ludwig.

"Do either of you know where to find the key?" He asked, resigned to the idea that they would have to come back later. Breaking down the door now would be incredibly counterproductive and could only end up getting them killed.

"Ve! I can open it!" Both Ludwig and England looked at the Italian in shock as Feliciano took out a lock pick and started jiggling it in the lock until there was a soft click and the door opened. He looked at them proudly as he put the lock pick in his pocket.

"Feli?" The German asked softly in awe. He knew how to use a lock pick? Sweet little Feliciano?

England's eyes seemed to bug out of their head. Obviously, he was thinking the same thing as Ludwig. "What the bloody hell?"

Feliciano just shrugged. "Fratello taught me!" He whispered happily. Arthur sighed before giving Ludwig a gentle shove into the room.

"Germany. Get in there and get him out. I'll keep watch with Italy." The German gave a nod of thanks before slipping into the room.

His eyes widened and he backed up a step as he took in the sleeping form of his brother. Gilbert's pale skin was covered in cuts and bruises, with dried blood marring his flesh. There was no doubt that this was Russia's work. Right there, Ludwig vowed to make Russia pay the first chance he got.

"Bruder! Gil! wake up!" He hissed as he lightly shook his brother. The albino woke with a small pained cry before turning and blearily looking up with dead eyes. They widened before he groaned bitterly and blinked.

"Great... Now I'm hallucinating...Just great..." He chuckled weakly as he placed a hand on Ludwig's cheek. Of all the things to hallucinate about, it could have been a lot worse.

The German resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Now was not the time. "You're not hallucinating, _bruder_. It's actually me. Come on, we have to get out of here."

Gilbert just sighed at his brother's words. "You're dead, West... I'm either hallucinating or I'm fucking dead."

Ludwig frowned. Why would Gilbert…? " _Bruder_ , I'm very much alive, and I'm here to bring you home. Now come on! We have to go!"

"Russia told me you were dead, West... Why did you do it? Why did you leave me? I told you I'd be back for you!" Gilbert sobbed. Ludwig's eyes widened as he saw his brother's tears. This wasn't right, something was wrong; mighty country of Prussia never cried

"He lied to you! I'm here! I'm alive! _Bitte, bruder_! Believe me!" Ludwig begged, suddenly terrified. It scared him to see his elder brother so broken.

"He won't let me go, West... He won't let me join you..." Gilbert mumbled. Ludwig's eyes hardened slightly as he steeled his nerves and slapped his brother, trying to get him to snap out of his daze. Gilbert's eyes widened in surprise as his hand went to his cheek. Something flickered in his eyes.

"I'm not fucking dead! Now let's go, before-"

"Damn it! Germany, get out of there! He's coming home!" England hissed as he stuck his head round the door. Ludwig looked at Gilbert anxiously, eyes widening when his brother tried to push himself to his feet.

"Go, West! I'll come as soon as I can!" The Prussian snarled, his previously dead eyes suddenly full of life again as he gazed at his brother.

"But-"

"Now, _bruderlein_! I'll be fine!" To prove his point he held up the handgun that had previously hung at Ludwig's hip. The blonde looked at his brother in shock as he suddenly noticed the gun's absence.

" _Bruder_?" There was another hissed order from the Englishman at the door. Gilbert just smiled.

"I've got some unfinished business, _bruderlein_...Now go. I'll be fine, I promise. Go, and lock the door behind you, and please, for the love of _Gott_ , don't you dare stay. Promise?" Ludwig's eyes widened as his older brother reached up and placed a kiss on his forehead. That hadn't happened since...well, forever. "Promise?"

Ludwig started and gave a small nod, quickly leaving and locking the door. He gave another curt nod to England and followed as the other man began leading him and Feliciano back out, trying to ignore the tight feeling in his chest.


End file.
